


The Burning Queen

by UnoriginalToast



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Illness, Injury, Mystery, Post-Canon, So much angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-20
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2018-12-04 10:28:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11553300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnoriginalToast/pseuds/UnoriginalToast
Summary: A country in shambles, a dangerous conspiracy, and a man caught at the center of it all. Roy Mustang finds himself in a race against time to save his beloved Lieutenant from a plot brewing beneath the surface. They’ll need to work with old friends and bring to light buried feelings if they want a future that includes the both of them.





	1. Battlefield

**Author's Note:**

> So I was on Tumblr and ended up in a rabbit hole and found myself in the RoyAi tag, and then started reading RoyAi fics and then this happened. Whoops. RoyAi's been one of my top 5 OTPs since, like 5ever and I've written one before, as you can see, and I love them. I also adore sick/injured/hurt and comfort fics, so here we are. Enjoy!

The bombs and bullets whizzed overhead as they had for days, or weeks, or months. At this point it was hard to tell the time, because the smoke made every day seem like darkest night, and the blasts lit up the sky like an angry, fiery sun. All the soldiers knew was that they slept when their weary, battered bodies finally gave out, and then did what they could to ensure they would wake in the morning.

To say the battle for the rebel-held territory was not going well would be a laughable understatement. With King Bradley ousted, finding cooperation among the different factions was nearly impossible. Some factions reluctantly cooperated, some stayed out of the power struggles, and still others turned against the military.

A leader had yet to be elected, and the military was in shambles. Military run institutions, which consisted of most public works and services, were closed. At best, citizens were unhappy, at worst they were rioting.

Colonel Roy Mustang, who was still a Colonial because no one had the power nor cared to promote him with everything else going on, was in the strategy tent, mulling over the next course of attack.

"One more strong hit to their base," he said, pointing at a dark red 'x' on the tattered old paper, "And we should end this." His voice sounded noncommittal, but with a firm nod of his head, the other soldiers knew he was decided in this course of action.

"Sir," ventured one soldier cautiously. Although Mustang had not been granted a higher title, word quickly spread of his latest battle with the Fullmetal Alchemist. The title would be nice, sure, but he had already earned the respect of his underlings. There was already rumors that he would lead the country at some point, but much of that was simply speculation.

Roy raised an eyebrow at the one who had spoken though he tried to look as inviting as possible. Riza Hawkeye, the woman standing at his side, commented that he sometimes appeared closed off, which scared people away from speaking up.

"It's just, you're right, sir, one more strong hit and we'll have them," the young man said nervously. "But I worry that we don't have that strong hit in us."

Roy nodded, pondering over the words. The young soldier was right, the odds of them having one more strong attack in them was slim. But, if they didn't take the chance now, they may not get another one. While they regrouped, the enemy did as well. There was only so much time.

"You're right, soldier," Mustang finally said, straightening up. To his right, Riza smiled to herself, as she had told him he needed to start with a positive sentence, and then constructively criticise what was said. He was learning. "Unfortunately, we don't have much choice. If we don't attack now, we won't get another shot."

"Yes sir," the soldier saluted politely, feeling validated that his comments were heard.

Mustang then began ordering troops into positions and directing his higher ups to lead the command of their squads. It was tiresome, and while he enjoyed the power, he had learned quite the life lesson about having too much of it. Most of all, he wanted the war to be over. Sure, peacetime paperwork was tedious, but the constant fighting wore him down. One lucky shot, one direct hit, and done. You're done. Your life is over.

"Everyone is in place." Riza brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to look in her grim, amber eyes. He noted, with some sadness, that during battles her eyes didn't glow the way they did at home. The purple bags under her eyes, which mirrored his own, caused her face to look droopy and tired, though he noticed that she still looked beautiful in her own right.

He felt shocked at the thought that entered his mind and quickly nodded his head to dismiss her. 'What?' he thought to himself, 'Am I not allowed to think things anymore?' But there was a war to focus on, and he followed Riza outside into the smoky world.

"Are you ready, Lieutenant?" he asked her as she reached for her gun.

"Yes, sir," she said. Although she looked tired and thin, her eyes were determined. She wanted to go home just as much as Roy and the rest of the team did.

"I wish that Fullmetal brat were here," Roy mumbled ruefully as they walked towards the boundaries of their encampment. Riza looked over at him, a bit shocked at the sentiment. Her commander wishing for the help of Edward Elric meant that the situation was dire.

"I suppose after all that happened, it's no surprise he just wanted to go back to the countryside with his brother," she replied neutrally. "Though, I feel this would be over by now if he were here, assuming he was fighting on our side."

Now, there was a heavy dose of truth. "Of course he would fight on our side," Roy replied hotly, though he looked away from his Lieutenant. He really couldn't be sure. Of course they had fought together then, but everything was so fragmented. Defeating King Bradley had only fractured the tense country further, and now pitted father against son, mother against daughter.

Riza didn't say anything more, but went down a different path from her commander so she could watch over him under cover. Her hands itched at her guns, daring any adversaries to come anywhere near the Colonel. Roy watched her go, knowing she was in the shadows and he made his way to the front lines.

He brushed his gloved hands along his arms, as though checking to be sure they were real. This was going to take a lot of strength and power, but he was among the best Alchemists in the world. He had no doubt he could win.

The other soldier-Alchemists were ready and began drawing their own circles as they readied to transmute the very earth they stood on. One more strong attack, and that's it. Just one more.

"Now!"

Roy's shout bellowed over the battlefield and they charged. Rocks, trees, dirt, all flew through the air at breakneck speeds, taking out the charging enemy in front of them. Roy was focused on his own Alchemy, and he preferred to keep it that way. If he became distracted by the dead bodies and injured soldiers, he wouldn't be able to focus on roasting that base.

They neared the stronghold, and Roy's vision focused on one thing and one thing only-the guardhouse. If he, and the rest of his soldiers, could take that out, the enemy troops would be set back so far, they wouldn't be able to recover for months, if they ever did at all. He knew from intel that they had neglected to build a base closer than hundreds of miles away across the desert. This was their chance to gain some ground.

He dodged attacks left and right, while his underlings protected the famed Flame Alchemist. With a snap of his fingers and the force of his arms thrusting into space, he lit up the ground beneath him and turned the landscape into fireworks. Everything was bright, the angry sun was rising once again, and Roy had succeeded in setting the guardhouse, and most of its inhabitants on fire.

Although the base was destroyed, the insurgents kept fighting, and Roy dodged and hit, ducked and set aflame anyone who came close. And one by one, they either retreated to save their own life, or they died at the hands of the military. But, Roy still refused to lose his focus, because he didn't want to see the death and destruction around him. He was content to stay in his own mind until they got back to base and could count their dead.

But then came the scream.

It was high pitched and quick, and had the bombs been blasting any louder, Roy would have missed it. But, his head snapped up and he whirled himself around before he started to run the direction of the scream.

He knew that scream. He knew that voice. All focus was gone. He couldn't even remember what he intended to do before the scream pierced his ears and rang through his mind. His heart was in his throat as he ran, and he felt like he was going to be sick, or burst into flames, or both.

And finally, he reached the source of the noise, laying in a crumpled and bloody heap on the ground.

"No," he said aloud, but it wasn't a wish or signal of defeat. It was a command. It was defiance. It was an order.

He sank to his knees and lifted the small body into his arms and turned studied the face of the close eyed soldier, but there was no denying it. It was Riza.

"Hawkeye," he said, shaking her. "Hawkeye, come on, wake up. That's an order from your commander! Wake  _up_!" But no amount of shaking could wake her. He decided to go a different route and checked her breathing, noticing that both her breath and her pulse were there, but faint. He found the wound on her shoulder and unceremoniously ripped her sleeve off and used the cloth as a makeshift bandage.

"Alright, your wound is bandaged, now wake up!" In his haze, Roy felt that was all that needed to be done to bring his Lieutenant back to him. But, it wasn't, and she was still lost to the world, though she had unconsciously moved turned herself into him. It wasn't cute. She was cold, freezing to death due to her loss of blood and Roy ripped off his own jacket and wrapped it around her.

He looked around and began shouting for help, and thankfully,  _thankfully_ , medial soldiers were running over to them. "Help," the Colonel said as they got close, as though they couldn't see the woman laying in his now bloody lap, as though they would up and turn the other way.

They knelt down, got a better bandage on her, and then tried to take her from Roy. But, he didn't want to let go. If they took her, he would crumble away to dust. She was the only thing keeping him from fading himself. He didn't realize that "don't take her" and "please help" were mutually exclusive.

"Colonel, please," a voice broke through the ringing in his ears and her turned to the medic who had placed a hand on his shoulder. He was right there, but he sounded so far away. "We're going to help her, I promise. Let us take her."

And suddenly Roy felt so tired. He nodded slowly, blinking a few times as he loosened his grip on Riza. They took the opportunity to load her into a gurney and the kind medic helped Roy to stand. The Colonel leaned heavily on him, feeling like he himself was about to pass out.

"You okay there, sir?" the medic asked as they walked, a slow procession back to base.

"Help her." Was all Roy could say, his voice dripping with exhaustion.

"We will. We're almost back. We have some good equipment, she'll be alright."

"Help her."

"We will." the medic didn't know what else to say, but also didn't need to make something up because he had to focus on catching Roy as the dizzy man fell forward. "Woah there, sir. You okay? That fight took a lot out of you, huh?"

Roy shook his head. Everything was dark. Or was it just the sky? Were his eyes closed? He couldn't tell. His heart ached and for a moment he forgot why, but then he remembered holding Riza and realized he wasn't anymore, and wondered where she was. He stumbled again and was caught once more. A voice swam above his ears but he didn't try to catch the words to understand them.

“Help her.” was all he said before he let himself be pulled back down into blissful, ignorant darkness.


	2. Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mustang and Hawkeye awake after the battle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the reviews, faves, kudos, follows, etc, etc! It really makes me feel awesome! I posted this, what? A few days ago. Yeah I've got 9 chapters and an idea for a sequel of sorts when I'm done. This is probably my most favorite fic I've written yet (and I think I wrote around 30 for Hetalia back in the day.) Anyway, as always, if you like what you read, let me know by leaving a review :) Thanks!

When Roy awoke, he felt warm. It was strange, because he was not used to feeling so comfortable out in the field. However, the sheets felt clean and so did the air, and he knew he wasn’t anywhere near where the battle had been because he wasn’t breathing in straight smoke. But, like many things that didn’t last long.

He coughed as the stale taste of a cigarette filled his lungs and he pried his eyes open. He looked right up and over at Havoc, who was reading a newspaper and smoking a cigarette in the white, clean room Mustang found himself in.

“Are you fucking insane? Smoking in a hospital room?” Roy croaked out, irritated already without even having been awake more than a minute. Havoc jumped at the sudden noise and looked down at his Colonel before smiling brightly.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty. Bout time you woke up.”

“Put that shit out.”

“I’ve been sitting here for forever waiting for you to finally wake up. Damn man, you can sleep.”

“That’s an order, Havoc.”

“I mean, you’ve been out for two whole days. Guess that last fight took something outta ya.”

“I swear to fucking--” Roy stopped himself and sat up as his memories came into collision with the realization he’d been asleep for two whole days. “I’ve been out for how long?”

“Two days,” Havoc replied and gave his cigarette one last puff before finally putting it out. “You owe me a new one.”

Roy wanted to tell him how absolutely fucking wrong that last statement was, but decided against it to instead find out more information about his condition. And it was then that he remembered his First Lieutenant, crumpled and bloody in his arms, laying on the dusty ground of the battle field. He feared he remembered her dead before he finally realized she’d been alive, but taken from him, and then he woke up here.

“Riza.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed, only to have both Havoc and his dizziness push him back down. “Where’s Lieutenant Hawkeye?” he asked, looking at Havoc with dangerous eyes.

The soldier found himself scared for a moment, wondering if Roy thought he’d done something to her. He held up his hands in surrender, hoping the Colonel wouldn’t light him up. “Hey, hey, just relax okay? You look pretty winded.”

“Where. Is. Hawkeye?” Roy asked again and saw Havoc’s face dissolve into a sad frown. He felt cold shock move through his body like a lightning bolt. No, she had to be alright. There was no possible way she wouldn’t be alright. She was Riza. Lieutenant Hawkeye. The sniper. His bodyguard. She had to be alright.

“She’s alive,” Havoc said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully, and Roy let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. “But it’s… not looking good, sir. She was pretty fucked up when they brought you guys in. She was shot in the shoulder. Got right out of the way quick too, because it was aimed for her heart. Damn she’s quick. But she hasn’t woken up.”

“I need to see her,” Roy said earnestly. Havoc wanted to tell him to rest. He looked rather pale. But, he also knew that he was not going to be able to order his Colonel around. So instead, he just helped the man stand and guided him out the door. He noted Roy was a little weak on his feet, but quickly fell back into step. The doctors had been right. Colonel Mustang just needed a lot of sleep, but otherwise he was fine.

“Where are we?” Roy asked as they walked down the long hallway. It seemed familiar, but he couldn’t be sure.

“The Capital.”

Roy turned around, stopping so quickly that the other man nearly fell over. “What?”

“Yeah, they stabilized you two and then brought you back,” Havoc said. “Don’t worry, the fighting is done. The insurgents were pushed back, and they’re just cleaning up the area now. They needed to bring Hawkeye to a real hospital, and knew that you wouldn’t want to be too far away. They said they could barely pry her out of your arms when they got to you. But yeah, they opened the hospital just for you two.”

Havoc rambled on about the trip back to the Capital, but Roy was coming to realize why the hospital felt so empty. Because of all the fighting and the change in leadership, a lot of the services in the cities had been shut down, and that also included the military hospital. Riza must have been in pretty bad shape to get them to open up shop just for her.

They finally reached the door to another room and Havoc pushed it open. Roy burst inside, and found his breath caught in his throat as he looked over the small woman in the bed. Like a ghost, he seemed to float numbly over to her side and sank into the chair. He grabbed her hand, which felt too cold, and watched her breathe steadily up and down, up and down.

She looked… terrible. She was connected to an oxygen machine and was bandaged all over her head and shoulder, and down her right arm. It seemed like every single wire in the world was coming out of her and leading to god-knows where behind the bed. She looked so small in that bed, smaller than she ever had before, and Roy wondered if she’d always been that thin, or if being on the battlefield had caused her to lose weight. How had he not noticed? It was his responsibility to notice those kinds of things and he had failed her.

He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and he looked up to see Havoc looking down at him with a look of pure pity. Roy had never admitted it, nor had Riza, but the entire squad knew there were very special feelings between the man and his Lieutenant. Romantic? They couldn’t quite tell, but they were closer than any two people could be.

“They do think she’s going to be okay,” Havoc assured him. “Might be a long recovery, but she’ll be alright.”

“No,” Roy shook his head and Havoc opened his mouth to protest, but Roy beat him. “It won’t take long. She’s a fighter, and she also won’t want to stay in the hospital too long.”

“You two are so stubborn,” Havoc laughed. “A match made in fucking heaven.” He paused and his eyes lingered on the frail woman in the bed. He felt uncomfortable, both because he hated seeing Hawkeye in that kind of shape, and because he felt like he was intruding in a moment between the other two. “You should go back to your room and sleep some more.”

“I’m not tired.” That was a lie, but Roy wasn’t going to leave. He looked up at Havoc and nodded his head towards the door. “If you have things to do, you can go. You don’t have to babysit me.”

“I don’t have anything to do!” Havoc replied and Roy glared.

“I know for a fact that you had an entire stack of paperwork on your desk that needed done when I left,” Roy replied, agitation showing in his voice. “And I also know you likely haven’t touched any of it.”

“Alright, alright,” Havoc laughed. “But do get some rest.”

“Yeah, I’ll be out in a bit.” Havoc left and Roy returned his gaze to Riza, who hadn’t moved.

He’d lied again to Havoc. He never went back to his room. He stayed at Riza’s side, sometimes leaning back and dozing, sometimes laying his head down on the side of the bed and sleeping. But, he never moved, and kept a firm hold on her hand.

* * *

 

It was so early in the morning when Riza awoke that the sun had not risen, but the dark blue glow of first light crept into the room. A doctor had wrapped a blanket around Roy, who had one arm under his head on the side of the bed, and the other hand was clutching Riza’s. That was the first thing Riza felt when she regained her senses--a soft, comforting weight on her hand.

Had the lights in the room been on, or the light outside too bright, it would have been impossible for her to open her eyes. As it stood, prying her eyes open took quite the effort, but she eventually was able to do it, and glanced curiously around the room. It was a hospital, and it seemed familiar, but Riza was too tired to wrack her brain to figure out why.

Instead, she turned her head to see a mop of black, straggly hair and a hand clutching her own. She knew immediately that it was Roy and she felt her heart swell with emotion she couldn’t place. She opened her mouth to speak, but found she was blocked by the mask covering her face. She considered taking it off, but decided against it. Instead, she used all the strength she had to squeeze Roy’s hand and shift into a more comfortable position on the bed.

While the hand squeeze had been tight, it was the movement of the squeaky hospital bed that got Roy to awaken. The pre-dawn light had grown a little brighter, and it was easy to make out faces and shapes in the private hospital room. He sat himself up and pushed his shoulder blades back, cracking his back in a satisfying way. He used his free hand to secure the blanket around himself and looked at Riza, who gazed back with tired amber eyes.

“Riz--Hawk--Lieutenant!” Roy finally decided on as jumped with surprise when he found her awake. He felt the urge to hug her as close as he could, but not only was that completely inappropriate, the hospital bed and wires prevented him from doing so. Instead, he squeezed her hand. “Thank god you’re awake.”

Forgetting her mask, or not caring that it was there, she tried to speak, but Roy shushed her. “You’re okay,” he said in a gentle voice that Riza had only heard a handful of times. Damn, this must be serious. “We’re back in the Capital. You’re going to get all fixed up, and then we’re going to get back to work.”

She smiled a little at this. The idea of work sounded nice. She would nag him about paperwork, and then make sure it all got done. She hoped her dog was alright. She also wondered about the outcome of the war. But, although she could convey many things with just a glance at her Colonel, full sentences about her innermost thoughts were not among them.

“You should sleep more,” Roy said. “I know you just slept a lot, but you need your rest. I want you better as soon as possible.”

Riza lifted her hand and pointed at him. It took Roy a moment, but he knew what she was saying.

“I’m fine, really. I was out a few days because of the energy the battle took,” he said. “But I’m fine. Havoc wouldn’t have let me stay here with you unless he was sure. Then again, I don’t entirely trust Havoc’s judgement… But don’t worry, really.” Riza couldn’t help but smile a little and Roy smiled back.

The woman closed her eyes and she was immediately asleep again. Roy watched the rise and fall of her chest before settling into a much more relaxed sleep, now that he knew Riza was okay.


	3. Sickness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter was a little short and so is this one, but too long to put together, so I figured I'd post them two days in a row. Things pick up now! Yay! If you read this and like it, I would absolutely love it if you'd leave me a note and let me know! Thank for for the kudos I've gotten so far! It really keeps me going! Well, that and a love of this ship!

Three days later, Roy was forced away from her and back to work, though he often left the office go do his paperwork by her side. She mostly slept, so the room was quiet and he was able to focus well enough. When she would wake, he would push his work to the side and chat with her, sometimes for an hour, and sometimes only for the few moments she was lucid that day. Her body was having a hard time repairing itself, but it was moving forward, and for that he was grateful.

As the week went on, Roy never missed a day of sitting by her bedside. Sometimes, she did miss him, because she was particularly tired, but whether she knew it or not, he was there. When she was able to sit up and talk for a while, they would chat about life, hopes, dreams, her dog. But they wouldn't talk about work or what had gotten her in the situation she was in. It was strange, Roy thought. Before, they'd only ever talked about work or things relating to work in some way. But, they grew close the weeks that Hawkeye was in the hospital. Of course, they had always been close, but work took over and both of them dug their noses in it. Roy sought power, Riza wanted to protect him. And now they were talking to each other as people, not just as coworkers.

And then, Riza went home with instructions to take her medicine and rest for at least a week before even thinking about working. No working from home, no coming into the office, no even glancing at paperwork. Just rest. She was not thrilled, but was also thankful to be able to walk out of the hospital at all.

Roy gave her two weeks, and stopped by every few days just to check up on her and, later after she had rested for a week, some very light paperwork to look over so she'd be caught up when she returned to work. He didn't feel the need to come by any more or less than that, since there were plenty of other people visiting and making sure she was doing well. Plus, he had an office to run.

But, he couldn't deny he was excited when the day Riza was supposed to return to work rolled around. He sat in his office, his feet up on his desk, gazing at some paperwork. He knew Riza would come in and tell him to get his feet off the desk, and then he would ask her if she was ordering him around. She'd get flustered, but remind him the desk wasn't his, and belonged to his higher ups, and then change the subject to doing more paperwork or something. That was how it always was, and Mustang looked forward to it.

But the hands on the clock moved all around over and over again, and the sunlight shined in the windows and hit different spots in the office. Riza never showed.

Around lunchtime, Roy was perplexed, and called Havoc into his office.

"Has Lieutenant Hawkeye come in today?" he asked the man after demanding he take the stupid cigarette out of his mouth. And no, it didn't matter that it wasn't lit, it was still an order.

Havoc blinked in surprise and glanced around the room. "We thought she was with you."

"Do you know if she's come in today?"

"No, sir."

Roy didn't know what else to say or ask. He just dismissed Havoc with some half hearted excuse, like that she was probably around here somewhere. But, he was really growing worried. This wasn't like the woman he knew. If she ever had to call out sick, which was extremely rare in its own right, she always made a call at least two hours before she was supposed to come in. He knew that, because it was the rules, and also because she was the only one of his subordinates who actually followed the guideline.

But, Roy's paperwork had built up and he was sure she had to have come into work, because she would have called if she hadn't… right? So, he finished the stack on his desk and got up to take his lunch hour. He checked around the military base, and checked with everyone he could think of, but no one had seen the amber-eyed, blonde haired woman.

So, Roy decided, he would go to her house and just see if she was there. Perhaps she thought she was starting back the next week, he told himself. No, no he wouldn't be mad. That was just fine. It would just be a misunderstanding. She would be embarrassed, he would laugh at her embarrassment, and all would be right with the world.

Riza lived in a small condo not far from his own. It was two stories and smushed in between two other condos in a long row. He knew the place would be too cramped for a family, but for a single woman and her dog, this was perfect, and was why many single military personnel chose to rent one.

He knocked on the door and her the dog, Black Hayate barked. He waited, but there was no answer, just the whine and pawing at the door from the dog. Roy decided to ring the doorbell, and Hayate barked again, this time in a more desperate, whining tone, but there was still no answer.

Riza had given him a spare key (and he had given her one to his home), in case they ever needed to get to each other and the other wasn't answering. This, he figured, qualified as one of those instances. He grabbed the key and stuck it into the door, turning the lock. He opened the door and was greeted by a pouncing puppy, who was whining and licked at his hands.

"Okay, okay, it's me," Roy said as he shut the door behind him. "Jeeze, this isn't the first time we've met." But Hayate seemed anxious about something, which in turn made Roy feel anxious. He glanced around the entryway, but saw and heard nothing.

"Lieutenant?" He called out and took a step towards the kitchen.

There was no answer, so he called again.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye? It's Colonel Mustang."

Still, no answer, except for Hayate who was whining next to him.

"Riza?" Now, Roy was worried. He was calling loud enough to wake the neighbors, if it hadn't been the middle of the day. He didn't know why she wasn't answering him back.

But he soon found out as he turned the corner to the living room and found his Lieutenant face down on the carpet. Her hair was splayed around her and she was dressed in a white tank top she wore under her uniform and black sweatpants. One arm was tucked under her head while the other grasped the carpet. Hayate went over and nudged her, whining when she didn't stir.

"Shit, Riza!" Roy called and lept over to the woman. He shook her gently and, getting no response, turned her over and lifted her upper body into his arms. "Riza, do you hear me? Riza!"

The woman let out a soft moan and turned away from him, but then fell silent and still. Roy placed a hand on her cheek and found that she was burning up with a high fever. His mind instantly went to the wound on her shoulder and he ripped the bandages off, but there was no sign of infection. In fact, the wound looked great and was only wrapped in bandages to prevent the stitches from opening if Riza brushed up against a wall or something accidentally.

He wasn't happy that he couldn't figure out the source of her fever, but he knew he just had to work to bring it down. He scooped her up and carried her upstairs, Hayate pattering after him curiously.

Roy entered her room and laid her on the bed. She looked slightly more relaxed on the soft mattress, but her brows were still furrowed in pain and sweat rested on her brow. He quickly grabbed a cloth and wet it with cool water before returning to place it on her head. That was rewarded with a soft sigh and a finally restful looking Riza. Roy also sighed in relief and sat down in a chair he'd pulled up by the bed.

"Fuck, Riza, it's always something, isn't it?"

"'m sorry." came a mumbled reply. Roy glanced up at her, and she didn't open her eyes, but her lips were parted. It hadn't been the wind, she was awake.

"It's not your fault," Roy said, standing and placing a hand on top of hers to let her know he was there. "Though this is a pretty shitty way to get out of work." He laughed much louder than his little joke called for, but he wanted her to know he was only kidding around.

"I'll have that paperwork on your desk tomorrow," she murmured, and Roy couldn't tell if she was serious or joking along with him because of her hushed tone.

"Alright, alright." He humored her, in case she was worried he was mad. She wouldn't be getting much done for a while, that much he could tell. "Are you thirsty?"

"Yes." came the reply after a pause. He left and came back with a glass of water. Gently, he sat her up and helped hold the cup while she drank gratefully. While she did so, he dabbed the cloth around her face, trying to cool her down.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't know," she replied, gasping for air after chugging the water. "I woke up feeling fine, ate breakfast, and was about to get changed when the next thing I know, I'm laying in bed." Roy frowned at that, hating the idea of Riza being alone on the floor for so many hours. Then again, at least it was hours and not days. He helped lay her back down and replaced the cloth.

"You're a fucking mess," he chuckled, but he still felt worried.

"I'm sorry, sir. I'll do better, sir." Even when sick, Riza was still… Riza.

"Shut up." Roy said. "Just get some sleep. I'll call the doctor and…" Shit. There was no doctor because the services were closed, and they'd only reopened the hospital because Riza was dying. "I'll figure something out. Did you take your medicine today?"

"Yes, before I ate," Riza replied tiredly and her eyes slipped closed. She couldn't keep them open any longer.

Roy turned and shut her blinds, his eyes lingering over her room. Her bed was a mess because she had been laid in it and the blankets were ruffled, but every other thing had a place. The room was more organized than anything at the office, and was perhaps the neatest bedroom Roy had ever seen. He noted the lack of personal photos, save for a picture of a younger Black Hayate on her bedside table. Other than that, this could have been literally anyone in the world's bedroom.

He left her to sleep and closed her bedroom door. "She's fine," he told the dog, who almost seemed to understand. With a wagging tail, Hayate followed the man downstairs.

Now, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't just leave her. If she worsened, he had to be there to take care of her. Hell, even if she stayed the same, she needed someone to take care of her. She could barely hold a glass of water. And the hospital wasn't going to be much help, because all the services were closed. And right now, this was just a fever. If he demanded a hospital open for her, and the public found out, there would be riots. But, doctors were still working, often for free, so maybe he could track one down.

But for now, he felt exhausted, so he sank into the couch in the living room and watched as Hayate laid on the ground next to him.

At least, Roy thought as he let himself slip into a doze, he was getting out of doing paperwork for the rest of the day.


	4. Orders

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have officially finished writing this (yay!) and have a sequel idea ready to go! This will be 14 chapters.

It was very early the next day when Riza regained consciousness. It was quite the effort too because she felt so weak from the fever, and from not eating anything for quite a while. She felt so warm and tried to kick the blankets off her as best she could. But, once she'd succeeded in uncovering herself, she felt so cold, as though the temperature had dropped by over fifty degrees. She scrambled to pull the covers back up but then felt hot again.

Well, there was one battle she wasn't going to win. She figured she'd leave a sheet on top of her, though that also seemed way too heavy. Sighing, she opened her eyes and found that the early morning light was struggling to peek through her blinds. It was a strange light that was in her room, and she had never seen the sunlight hit the walls the way it did. Then again, she also never slept in. There was a first for everything, she supposed.

Riza didn't feel hungry but knew she hadn't eaten in awhile. She also didn't feel nauseous, though she really didn't want to push her luck. Then again, she figured it would be best to try to keep down some toast and water. The goal was getting better, after all. And, with every goal, you had to be willing to inch a little closer to it.

The first step would be getting out of the bed. Riza pulled the now warm cloth off of her head and lifted the blankets off of her once more. It was freezing, but that was soon replaced by the heat of exertion when she tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed and stand up. She was very wobbly on her feet, but she steeled herself and leaned heavily on her nightstand, almost knocking over the beloved picture of Black Hayate.

Taking a moment first to be sure she could support her weight, she then started to move. Left foot, right foot. Left, right. She inched along the wall, holding onto it for support and stopping where she needed to. After what felt like an eternity, she reached her door and entered the very small hallway, which connected her bedroom, a bathroom, and a small guest room with a futon and an office desk.

Her next challenge was the stairs. She was fearful of falling down them, but they did have the added benefit of the railing, which she leaned on more heavily than the wall. One foot down, other foot. Next step, other foot. Riza never imagined she'd be in a position where she'd take ten minutes walking from her bedroom to the bottom of the stairs, but here she was.

At the bottom of the stairs, she could either go right to the kitchen, left to the living room, or straight out the door. Her goal, of course, was the kitchen, but something told her to peer around the corner and into the living room. And it was there that she saw her Colonel sleeping on her couch.

Her face turned red in shock before her memories came back to her. They were fuzzy, and she just barely remembered waking up. In fact, she remembered getting up for work and then waking up that morning, and somewhere in between, she talked to the Colonel. Placing a hand on her head, she took a long and steady breath. Man, she was really out of it.

She moved, slowly, to the kitchen, letting the Colonel sleep. She wanted to tell him there was a futon upstairs that might be just the smallest bit more comfortable, but it was too late now. So, she worked on getting some toast made and slowly sipped some water as she leaned on her kitchen counter.

The pop of the toaster was what woke the Colonel and he jumped up off the couch. He glanced around the room and saw no one, not even Black Hayate who had fallen asleep at the end of the couch. When Mustang realized the dog was on the furniture, he thought about shooing him off but decided he did have enough room in his heart for a dog who was likely worried about his owner.

But, then he heard something in the kitchen and went to investigate. It was there, as he stood in the doorway, that he found Riza chewing on a piece of toast like her life depended on it as she stood over the counter, one hand holding the toast and the other gripping the surface so she wouldn't fall. Roy paused there and watched her, noting how thin and tired she looked. Her face was pale with patches of red flush, and he could tell her back, under arms, and chest were all soaked with sweat.

"Lieutenant!" Roy called and Riza jumped, nearly losing her grip on the counter. He felt bad for just a moment for scaring her but was worried about her being up and out of bed like this. "What are you doing?"

She glared at him. "Eating," she mumbled through her clenched jaw. She winced, feeling pain in her head and tried to make herself less tense. She chased down the toast with some water.

"I could have brought something to you," Roy said, a little more gently this time, and walked over to her.

"You were asleep," she retorted. "And I forgot you were here anyway. I'm fine, sir."

He looked at her in bewilderment. How in the world could this woman say she was fine? Not even the loosest definition of 'fine' would match what she looked like right now. In fact, under antonyms of 'fine' in the dictionary was her picture! Then again, he couldn't blame her. He would have said exactly the same thing in her situation. Maybe Havoc was right. A match made in heaven.

Shaking his head of the thoughts, he placed a hand on her back and forced himself not to recoil from the sweat. "Lieutenant, you're burning up."

"I'll sleep when I'm finished," she said firmly.

"Please let me help you." Roy tried, but she didn't respond. Well, Roy figured, he'd tried to be nice for an entire five minutes, and seeing as that was a new record for him, he was going to have to try something else.

"I order you to let me help you."

Riza's head snapped up and she looked at him with shock. She couldn't believe that he-well, she could believe it. But, it seemed so strange to her, that he would want to take care of her while she was like this. The man was stubborn, though, and while she was able to argue, she was too exhausted to disobey an order.

Her shoulder slumped a little and she leaned against the counter more heavily. "Yes, sir." she finally said and Roy felt bad, but not badly enough to leave her be.

Roy took her arm and wrapped it around his neck, helping her move back up stairs and to her room. He had a sneaking suspicion that her sheets were soaked, and found that he was correct, so he pulled out new ones. Unfortunately, he didn't really know how to make a bed properly, so he sort of haphazardly threw the blankets on and hoped for the best. But, with how warm she was they would likely need changing later anyway.

Riza had taken the opportunity to change into clean clothes in the bathroom and came back and sat in the chair. She watched Roy fight the sheets and stifled a small laugh. By the time all was well with the bed, she had dozed off.

"Alright," Roy declared in frustration and turned, finding his Lieutenant fast asleep. He couldn't help but smile at how her head rested on her shoulder and her hair covered the front of her face. Even now, with her face looking thin and worn, she was beautiful.

He lifted her and she stirred but fell right back asleep when she was laid down in the covers. Roy placed another cool cloth on her forehead and made a mental note that he would have to be vigilant to ensure it stayed cool. No more falling asleep on the couch!

Roy went downstairs to clean up Riza's makeshift breakfast and then stood, peering around the small home. His first thought was to help clean something, but Riza's house was spotless. Everything was organized and in its place. It looked like a model home, and he bet her landlord would enjoy showing prospective tenants the house if she ever moved out.

He walked back into the living room and looked around. A radio, a television, and a lamp were the only electronics in the room. It was clear from the three tall bookshelves that Riza much preferred reading, and there were a few stacks of newspapers sitting on the coffee table. He sat down in a chair and looked over at the mantle to his right. There were some personal pictures. So, Riza wasn't a robot!

There were two pictures of Black Hayate, one of which included Edward and Alphonse, a picture of her parents, and there was also a picture of the team. Roy stood to peer over at it. They all looked so much younger, but he noted the picture was taken not long before he met the Elric brothers. It was also, he realized, not the standard squad picture, but instead the silly one they had taken right after. Each man was doing a pose and Havoc had Roy in a headlock. Riza, never one for acting silly, was smiling softly her gaze angled down at her Colonel. Roy smiled back as he gazed at the picture for a long while. Despite his many frustrations with them sometimes, he loved his team. And, he was glad it seemed Riza did as well.

A knock at the door startled him and he spun around, partially confused, and partially angry that someone would dare visit Riza. He pushed the second emotion away, as it was rather irrational, and made his way to the door. Upon opening it, it found himself face to face with a short young man with long blonde hair. They both jumped and screamed.

"What the hell are you doing at Hawkeye's house?" They both shouted at each other. Then they glared, falling silent as they dared the other to speak. Edward was the one who gave in.

"I was looking for a certain lazy-ass Colonel who wasn't in his office to sign my leave papers!" he said irritably. "What the hell are you doing at Lieutenant Hawkeye's house?"

"Why the hell would I need to sign your leave papers?" Roy grumbled, crossing his arms like a child as he ignored the boy's second question.

"Because, uh, you're the highest ranking officer who can sign them. Duh," Edward dropped his tone in a mocking way and tried to peer into the house. What was Mustang hiding that he didn't want Edward to find out? "Where's Riza?"

"Wait, why do you need an officer? Are you joining the military?" Roy asked, completely perplexed. The oldest Elric brother had run off after all was said and done to spend time in the country. He had no idea if the boy had left, or was still in the ranks, or what. He hadn't told anyone anything, but then again that was pretty typical of Edward.

The boy shrugged off the question. "Yeah, I guess. I figured, why not? Got kinda boring out there and thought I'd try it out."

Now, that irritated the Colonel. "The military isn't something you just do because you're bored!" He shouted, but Edward shrugged again and thrust some papers at him. Roy realized he'd need to go inside and get a pen, and he knew Edward wouldn't stay outside. "Ugh, whatever. Just give me a moment."

As predicted, Edward followed the older man into the house and looked around. "So, uh, wanna tell me where Riza is?"

Roy was bent over the coffee table, signing the papers. He glanced up at Edward and sighed heavily. "Lieutenant Hawkeye," he began with a correction, "Is sick."

"Holy shit, she can do that?" That earned the boy a very dangerous glare. "I mean," he tried again, "I know she just got out of the hospital, but I thought she was doing alright."

"Yeah, well, so did we," Roy mumbled, his eyes now firmly trained on the papers. Edward studied him for a moment. Something seemed very wrong, and he got the sinking feeling that this wasn't just a normal cold.

"Shit, it's that bad?" Edward asked, starting to sound a little more gentle. Colonel Mustang got on his very last nerves sometimes, but he knew the man had very special feelings towards his Lieutenant. And, as Ed had learned, if anything at all happened to Hawkeye, the world had better watch out.

"Yeah," Roy breathed out tiredly as he moved onto another piece of paper. There was a silence, and he knew Edward wanted him to say more about the Lieutenant, but Roy struggled to put it into words. "She, uh," he tried. "She was supposed to come to work yesterday and didn't show. I came over and found her passed out on the floor here. She's been awake, eaten something, but her fever still hasn't broken."

"Did her wound get infected?" Edward asked. Like Roy, he wanted to know the cause of her illness. Both men firmly understood that bad things happened, but understanding why those things happened made everything a lot easier. Not knowing why killed them.

"No," Roy said shortly. "I have no idea why." He finished the paperwork and handed them over to Ed. "Go file these. And I'm sure the Lieutenant will be back good as new next week." But, Roy didn't sound very convinced of that, and Edward could tell.

"Have you been home?" he asked the older man and Roy looked at him oddly. It was then the Colonel realized he was wearing his white shirt with his military bottoms, his jacket discarded on one of the chairs in the kitchen.

"No, I haven't." Roy shrugged.

"Well, I'll stay here and you can go home and change and get some clothes," Ed offered, a surprisingly kind gesture for the boy who liked the antagonize the Colonel as much as possible.

The surprising gesture wasn't lost on Mustang, but he also knew he couldn't turn down the offer. "If anything happens," he said in a low, warning tone, "You get me immediately, got it?"

"Yup," Edward said cheerily. "Hey, it's the least I can do. We're gonna be work buddies now!"

"Don't remind me," Roy groaned as he grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"By the way, Colonel, your handwriting sucks ass!" Edward called daringly.

Roy considered going back and setting him on fire for the snide comment, but he also wanted to get back to Riza's side as soon as he could. So, he decided to cut his losses and hurried down the street, content to roast the boy later when things settled down.


	5. A Little Help

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, this story is my baby! I adored writing it and am loving the sequel I've got going on! Hope you all continue to enjoy!

 

As much as he hated to admit it, Roy owed Edward for giving him a break to go home, shower, and gather some clothes. As the warm water hit his weary body, he knew he could never actually tell the Elric boy that for fear he would actually take him up on the offer, but he felt the thought was enough.

He scrubbed the soap through his hair and just took a minute to take a breath. It felt like he'd gone forever without actually breathing, and his heart was finally beating at a much more normal pace. For the first time, he felt the weariness in his bones and the ache as he moved the lathered soap around his body.

And worst of all, he couldn't get the image of Riza, face down on the carpet, out of his mind. Or the image of Riza, bloodied and battered on the battlefield. Or with her throat slit.

He shook his head, trying to get the thoughts to leave him alone. She was going to be fine. She was just sick and needed someone to take care of her, and then she would be back at the office. He had to convince himself of that, otherwise, he didn't know what he'd do.

He turned the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He wanted to sink into the familiar embrace of his bed, but he needed to get back to Riza's house. He knew Edward was more than able to watcher her, and she would likely be asleep for most of the day, but he had to get to her. It wasn't a rational necessity, but instead, one that came from his heart. And, for the first time in a long time, he refused to ignore it.

The Colonel changed into casual, comfortable clothes-a black shirt and jeans, and carefully piled clothes into a small bag. He also grabbed a pillow of his that he liked to sleep on, not that Riza didn't have guest sheets and pillows, but Roy craved the comfort of something familiar. He also picked up some soap and his toothbrush and toothpaste from the bathroom, so he could shower and wash up at her place.

"Huh," he said to himself as he stared in the mirror, admiring the bags that had formed under his eyes. "I always dreamed of staying the night at Riza's place. But not like this." He placed a hand on his cheek, feeling the stubble of a beard growing in and also made the decision to grab his razors. He hated that he grabbed them because that gave him the sense that it would not be a short visit to Riza's home.

As he collected his things and walked out the door, he had to question why he felt so protective of his Lieutenant. Of course, that was a silly thought. He knew exactly why, and after all the time they'd spent together and everything they'd been through, it was no wonder he felt so close to his Lieutenant. They'd fought side by side for years, had known each other for longer than that, and together had taken down the evil that plagued the city. The idea of losing her was something he dared not think about, for fear of dragging himself into a rut for days on end. Losing Riza would mean losing life itself for Roy. It was absolutely not an option.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost missed the turn to walk down Riza's empty, cobblestone street, but he caught himself just in time. Within another minute, he was back at her door and letting himself in. Black Hayate greeted him with a wagging tail and lick to Roy's hand. He tossed his jacket over a chair in the kitchen and threw his pillow and overnight bag onto the couch before heading upstairs.

He heard a voice and knew that Edward was talking to Riza, and he felt bad that Riza might have woken without him being there. But, he figured as he pushed the thought away, she was awake. And that was what was most important.

He opened the door to find Edward mid sentence, sat on the chair. A laugh was on his lips and he seemed to enjoy talking the Lieutenant's ear off. More importantly, he looked over to Riza and found himself staring for a little longer than was probably normal. She was sat up against the pillows, leaning heavily back into their comforting hug. Sweat formed on her brow and her hair was tangled and a mess. Her face looked thin and pale, and the purple bags under her eyes were deep and bold, but goddammit if she didn't look absolutely stunning.

The sun hit her golden hair, making it glow, and the light caused her eyes to appear even more vibrant. Anyone who thought only blue or green eyes could be stunning were sadly mistaken, because her amber ones were the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

A soft smile rested on her lips, and had he not known her as well as he did, he might have thought she was bored out of her skull. But, she was interested in whatever Edward was talking about, and he knew that because the only time she ever pretended to be engaged with anyone was with him.

As he took another step into the room, both blondes looked over at him. Edward smirked, and Roy knew they had been talking about him. Damn brat. Riza's lips moved just slightly, but she didn't have the strength to form a full smile.

"Lieutenant," he greeted and then glared at the boy. "Fullmetal," he groaned. Then again, he couldn't complain too much. The shower was much needed and now he had his clothes. "I sincerely hope you haven't been keeping my Lieutenant awake."

"No, no, I only woke up a few minutes before you came in," Riza said weakly. "With him going on, I was able to drink some water and eat a little something." Roy felt his softer side showing when she confirmed she was alright and stepped further into the room. Ed was currently in the chair, so he perched himself on the end of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, studying her face carefully. His worry for her was plainly shown on his face, and even Edward noticed how gently Roy became when he was directly talking to his Lieutenant.

"Better," she said. "Still exhausted, and very warm." She started coughing into her hand, and Roy moved to get closer to her, but the coughing spell was over as quickly as it began. "I'll be good as new tomorrow." Her voice now sounded hoarse, and she wouldn't have been able to convince the most gullible man alive that she would be better the next day. But, Roy didn't want to argue with her, so he just helped her sip on some more water.

Roy turned to Edward. "Well, thank you," he finally said, though he was reluctant to thank the boy. Old habits die hard, he supposed. "I appreciate you giving me the chance to run home and grab a few things."

Edward stood to leave. "Yeah, well, anything for the Lieutenant," he said with a smile to the sick woman. Roy was irked by that, but he was also irked by nearly everything the young Alchemist did. But really, Ed was glad to help. As much as he liked to antagonize the Colonel, he also was happy to help out.

The boy saw himself out and Roy was able to return his focus to Riza, who looked at him questioningly. "You went home to get things," she asked as Roy moved from the bed to the chair Edward was previously occupying.

"Yeah, just a change of clothes and some toiletries." he shrugged.

"Oh, you don't have to stay here," Riza said, embarrassed that her condition caused Roy to feel the need to take care of her. "I'll be alright."

Roy frowned at her. He loved this woman more than he cared to admit even to himself, but if she wasn't the most irritating, stubborn thing in the entire world… "Lieutenant, you nearly passed out from walking from your room down to the kitchen. If I hadn't been there, you would be on the ground right now." His tone took a much sharper edge than he'd intended, and Riza looked away in shame. The fell silent for a long moment, and Roy felt bad for speaking so harshly to her.

"I'm sorry, Riz… Hawkeye." He said with a long sigh. "I just wish you wouldn't push yourself so hard."

"I apologize as well, sir," she said, still not meeting his gaze. "I am not used to being… like this." She gestured to herself as she lay on the bed. "I will do better, sir."

"And another thing," Roy started as he placed a hand on her shoulder. The touch caused her to look over at him and he smiled gently. "I know I'm your boss, but you don't have to 'sir' me after everything you say. You're sick, I think I can grant you a pass."

"Yes, si-" Riza laughed. "Some habits die hard. Do forgive me if I mess up."

"Of course." Roy and Riza talked a little more and, although she was weary, she couldn't bring herself to get to sleep. So, they decided to head downstairs, get her some medicine and water, and watch television. Riza dozed on one end of the couch, and Roy pulled the coffee table closer to him so he could use it as a makeshift desk.

At some point, as the day wore, Roy finished his paperwork and leaned back on the couch to watch the boring daytime television, and Riza moved into a sitting position on the couch, as she had grown hot with a blanket over her, and her legs were tired from laying down. Eventually, Roy realized, she had fallen asleep, her head buried into his shoulder. He hadn't even noticed the woman move, never mind fall asleep on him, so he was surprised when he looked down to see her resting peacefully against him.

At least, he felt, she looked peaceful. The purple circles under her eyes were still far too bright, and her face too pale, but her brows were relaxed, and her lips were parted. Her breathing was light and constant, and Roy couldn't pull himself away from staring at her.

He placed a hand atop her head and felt her silky, tangled hair. He gently pat it down and started smoothing it, and soon he fell into a rhythm of stroking her hair.

God, he loved this woman. He'd never loved anything the way he loved her. Seeing her so sick and weak broke him, but he also cherished the time he had to hold her. He placed his chin on top of her head and sighed. Losing her would kill him quicker than any bullet ever could.

He must have dozed off because when he found himself opening his eyes, the room was dark and the sun had gone down. Careful of the woman sleeping on him, he moved to turn on a light and peered down at the Lieutenant, who had fully turned herself into the warmth of his body. Gently, he pulled her away and she mumbled something in her sleep. She looked alright, though a little warm and pale, but then again, that was nothing new.

"Lieutenant?" he asked, shaking her lightly. He figured it would be best to wake her and make sure she didn't need anything before getting her to bed. She mumbled something again, but tiredly opened her eyes and looked up at Roy.

"Oh, Colonel, I'm sorry," she said quickly as she realized they were very close to each other and pushed herself away from him. "I must have fallen asleep." Roy just chuckled and stood, holding a hand out for his embarrassed Lieutenant. She took it and stood, wobbling slightly, but she was able to walk to the front hall with his hand on her shoulder to steady her.

"Do you need anything to eat? Drink?" Roy was asking her, but Riza felt far away. She didn't feel like she had completely woken up and was moving about in a daze. As they neared the stairs, she stopped short and no prodding or light pushing moved her. "Lieutenant?" Roy asked, realizing she had frozen in place.

Riza mumbled something that Roy didn't quite catch and he looked at the woman with great confusion and worry. Before he could ask her another question, she bolted into the kitchen and began heaving into the sink.

Roy ran in after her and paused very briefly, watching as Riza threw up the contents of her stomach-which consisted of only water and some toast-into the kitchen sink. He quickly came behind her and pulled her hair back as she coughed and hacked, and then tried to take a stuttery breath. He didn't know what to say, or if he should say anything at all, but rubbed circles on her back with his free hand until she stopped throwing up liquid and was tiredly dry heaving. Her knees buckled and Roy caught her before carefully sinking to the cool kitchen tile with her.

"What the hell happened, Riza?" he asked, brushing the sweat-drenched hair from her face all formalities were gone and were instead replaced by pure worry for his friend.

"I got sick." she panted out.

"Well, obviously," Roy replied, annoyed, but not with her. "Did you feel sick? You should have told me. You can't keep pretending to be fine when you're not!"

"It happened so fast," was all Riza said. She knew the Colonel was not mad at her, but his anxiety was making her anxious as well. She struggled to find a rhythm to her breathing, and eventually managed to take sharp, but steady breaths. She looked up at Roy and he noticed an unguarded fear in her eyes. They both knew then that something was terribly wrong.

"Sir, I-" she started, but the words died on her slightly parted lips. She froze and her back stiffened and Roy knew something terrible was going to happen, and he wasn't going to be able to stop it. Black Hayate came pouncing into the room, barking and whining, but Roy's focus was on the woman in his arms whose eyes had begun to roll back.

"Riza!" Roy called when he realized she'd lost consciousness and he shook her out of desperation. Her body began to shake and convulse, as though she was possessed. "Riza, snap out of it!" Roy called as he held onto her more tightly, trying to prevent herself from banging her head on the counter or smacking her arms or legs against the unforgiving tile floor.

She continued to shake violently for what seemed like hours, and then she began to cough and hack, gasping in between. Roy had never seen anyone like this before, and certainly never thought he would see his beloved Lieutenant in such a state. He was so focused on trying to get her body under control that it took quite a while for him to realize that the white shirt Riza had been wearing was now stained with blood, and the crimson liquid dribbled out of her mouth.

"Shit, fuck, Riza!" Roy called to her, as though saying her name was all that was needed for her to stop. He grabbed a cloth from the counter, struggling to both reach up and hold her at the same time. He wiped the blood from her mouth and then pulled her close to him, as she had gone still in his arms. They sat like that for a while, Roy holding her as close to him as was physically possible while he focused on her light and shallow breaths.

"Fuck, Riza," he mumbled again before he stood and scooped the unconscious woman into his arms. He looked at Black Hayate who was peering up at him with pitiful, curious eyes. He opened his mouth to tell him she was fine, but then couldn't bring himself to even lie to a dog. Instead, he just turned himself so he wouldn't have to look into those eyes and carried Riza upstairs.

He laid her down in bed and regarded her with newfound fear. If he wasn't careful and didn't do everything exactly as it needed to be done, there was a very real chance he could lose his Lieutenant.

As he placed a new cold cloth on top of her burning forehead, the woman shifted in the bed and moaned. She tried to open her eyes and managed to do so halfway, but her vision was blurry and she couldn't really see.

"Roy?" she whispered out, all formalities gone in her haze as she was desperate to know if the man was there.

"Shhh," came a quick, but gentle reply. Riza fell silent for a moment, glad to know he was in the room. He grabbed her hand and dried her face of the sweat with his free hand.

"This isn't." She took a long breath. "Normal."

"Riza," Roy said and they both knew he was conveying that he wanted her to be quiet with just the tone of the word. He didn't want her to waste the energy, but more importantly, he couldn't stand hearing her voice sound so broken.

"Something… is… wrong," she breathed out, ignoring him.

"Please, Riza." He was begging. If she didn't stop, he was going to lose it, because he knew something was wrong, and that this wasn't normal, but he had no idea how to fix it. And, if he had no idea how to fix it, he might not be able to save her. If he couldn't save her, he didn't know what he was going to do.

"Something… bigger is… going on." She breathed heavily through each word and then groaned in pain from exhaustion. Tears pricked her eyes and she felt so useless. They fell, streaming down her cheeks and then dripping onto the pillow.

"Don't cry," Roy said, no, begged. He reached forward and wiped them away, trying his damndest to swallow the lump forming in his own throat. "Dammit, Riza I know. I know, and I don't know what it is. But you are going to get better. Understand? You're still under orders not to die, got it?" He was losing it and he grasped her hand, trying to stay grounded. If he didn't hold onto her hand right now, he was going to fall into a million pieces, and no amount of Alchemy was ever going to put him back together.

"Yes, sir," came the shaky reply. Roy couldn't help but smile at that. He squeezed her hand and she squeezed back, and he sank into the chair next to her bed.

"Are you going downstairs?" she asked after such a long pause that Roy thought she'd fallen asleep.

"No. I'm staying right here."


	6. Serious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the reviews and favs! Hope you continue to enjoy! This is absolutely a guilty pleasure fic, so lots of fluff and angst and all that good stuff! Enjoy!

Roy got no sleep that night and instead moved between resting his head on the side of the bed, and checking every so often to make sure Riza was still breathing. At some point, just before morning light began to peek into the room, Riza began to seize again, and he found himself up on the bed with his arms curled tightly around her. She had almost fallen off the bed and was dangerously close to hitting her head off the headboard. He hadn't meant to stay there with her, but in his exhaustion, he dozed off, his arms still protectively wrapped around her.

He woke to the sunlight hitting his face and he turned, effectively burying himself into Riza's loose, blonde hair. When he felt the strands brush up and tickle his chin, he realized he was lying in a bed and opened his eyes to find a mop of golden hair attached to a woman sleeping peacefully on her side. He lay there for a moment more, grateful to be tangled up with Riza, though he wished it was under better circumstances. Still, he was glad she had not fallen in the night.

Slowly, so as to not disturb her, he untangled himself from both her and the sheets. This proved much harder than he originally thought because she was clutching his arm as though her life depended on it. When he finally managed to get her to release him, she mumbled something in her sleep, but otherwise didn't stir.

As he stood and moved to stand over her, he placed the backside of his hand on her forehead. She was still burning up, and her fever had not even come close to breaking. He swore under his breath and went to get another cool cloth. He had to figure out how to break this stupid fever. He also really, really needed a doctor.

But there were no doctors, at least none easily accessible in a hospital. And with the current climate, he worried that he wouldn't be able to find a doctor who would be willing to help someone in the military.

His thoughts then drifted to Edward, who obviously wasn't a doctor, but he was lower to the ground and more personable than the entire military combined. If they could track down a doctor, he might be able to charm them into helping. But that, of course, involved tracking down the boy and then, ugh, asking for his help.

Roy gazed over at Riza, still fast asleep on the bed. But, he figured, Riza was more than worth it. Even if he had to grovel and beg and plead, saving Riza's life was worth every minute of going to the Elric boy for help. Hell, that didn't sound so bad in comparison to what Roy would actually give just to ensure Riza recovered. He clenched his jaw. He wasn't going to lose her.

He glanced down and saw Black Hayate looking up at him with those stupid curious eyes. Roy sighed and bent down, patting the dog and earning a lick to the face in return. "You watch out for her, okay?" he said. "Don't let her get up. I'll be back soon."

The dog barked and Roy gave him a strange look. Did the dog… understand? No, he was just a personable little thing. Either way, Roy didn't have time for debating the mental capacities of animals, he had to get moving. So, as he grabbed his jacket and ran out the door, Hayate hopped up on the bed and curled up at Riza's feet.

* * *

Roy hurried down the streets to the Military Offices, hoping he would find the young Alchemist there. As he walked down the familiar halls towards his office, he was quickly cornered by Havoc, who pulled him aside.

"I don't have time, Lieutenant," Roy sighed, trying to push past him.

"Where the hell have you been?" Havoc asked. "And where has Hawkeye been?" For once, the usually cheery and silly man was looking quite worried and searched Roy's face for the answer. Roy sighed and shoved the man's hand away.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is sick." Roy finally said, looking down and away. There was something in his voice that made Havoc realize that this was no ordinary illness, that it was very serious.

"Shit," he said. "I thought she was alright."

"Yeah, so did I." He'd had this conversation, though with a different person, and was impatient, wanting to get away.

"Where are you going then?"

"Have you seen Fullmetal?"

Havoc blinked. Now, this day had taken an even stranger turn. The idea of Roy so desperately wanting to get to the young Alchemist was bewildering to him. "Um, he was in the office today. We had him working on how to reconnect broken service pipes. Can't actually do much without alchemy and all, but he's a pretty good engineer."

"Kid's a fucking protege and you have him playing construction worker?" Roy found himself asking irritably. He then shook his head. Fuck it, he didn't care if the boy was herding cattle, he just needed to find him.

"We didn't know what else you'd want him to do." Havoc shrugged. "Seemed as good a job as any. Anyway, it's near lunch so maybe he's in the cafeteria?"

"Good, thank you," Roy said and turned back the way he came, so he could take another hall to the common areas.

"Hey, wait, Colonel!" Havoc called. Roy turned briefly. "Is Lieutenant Hawkeye gonna be alright?"

"... I don't know."

Much to Roy's utter joy, as strange as the feeling was to him, Edward was in the cafeteria, just finishing up his lunch. Roy ran to him and grabbed his arm, and the boy turned, ready for a fight before he saw who was there.

"Hey, ready to give me a real job?" he blurted out before he remembered everything that had happened over the past day. Roy looked like he wanted to kill him, so he quickly corrected himself. "Sorry, how is she?"

"Terrible," Roy said, his voice heavy with emotion. "We need a doctor. Can you find one?"

"A doctor that will help the military?" Edward frowned. He truly wanted to help Roy, and he especially wanted Lieutenant Hawkeye to get better. "That's going to be a tough one in this city. How long do you think she has?"

There was a question Roy hadn't, or perhaps had refused to, think about. If this went untreated, and Riza slipped further and further into the depths of the illness, how long would she really have? He had no clue, but it seemed like not long, especially after the night seizures and the coughing up blood.

"I don't know," Roy replied honestly, and Edward found himself shocked at how open the Colonel was being. "Maybe I don't want to put a number on it. But she's gotten worse. Seizures, spitting up blood. Her fever hasn't broken either. Hasn't even budged."

"Shit," was all Edward could think to say. He paused for a moment, wracking his brain for someone he could think of to help, who would be willing. "I could send for Winry."

"Does she even know medicine?" Roy asked, irritated. This was nothing to be playing around with. He needed real, practical help now, and he didn't have time for Edward to go through a long list of people who sorta-kinda know what they're doing.

"Yes," Edward answered, feeling himself getting defensive about Winry for reasons he didn't quite understand. "She's not a doctor, but changing and fixing my automail has a huge basis in medicine. She's an option, okay? I'd also have to call her and then she'd have to make the trip. So, it might take too long. It was the first thing that came to mind, okay?"

Roy paused for a moment. The kid did have a point. Although more specialized as an engineer, if something went wrong while working on body parts, she had to know how to help, or at least how to stall until she could get to a doctor. But, she was also so far away, and they needed help now.

"Just, send for her and see if you can find someone here that can at least look her over," Roy said with defeat. "Don't tell them she's in the military. If they think she's a civilian, maybe they'll be more willing to help."

Edward nodded. "I will. In the meantime, I might be able to check her out." Roy glared at the phrasing. "You know what I mean. I've been hospitalized enough to pick up a few things, and I've been looking at how to use Alchemy for healing."

"What, being the youngest State Alchemist in history isn't enough for you?" Roy felt the need to ask and Edward laughed.

"There's always more to learn, especially when you can't practice yourself. Anyway, I'll meet you at her house later, after I call Win and check around, okay?"

"Okay."

With that, Edward left, and Roy hurried back to Hawkeye's home, not wanting to be away from her any longer than needed.

* * *

When he got back, she was still asleep, and Hayate was dozing at her feet on the end of the bed. Roy ruffled the dog's fur and sat down beside Riza. She didn't look or feel much better than she had when he left, and he was both thankful she hadn't worsened but worried that she was not getting any better. He settled back to read the day's newspaper, which he had grabbed at Central and hoped she would wake soon.

It took another hour, but Riza found herself regaining consciousness slowly until she felt the fireworks going off in her head and throughout her body. The pain was constant and she had grown used to it, even in her sleep, but now all of her limbs tingled as her body worked overtime to try and heal itself. It was like trying to plug bursting pipes with bandaids. When one thing seemed fixed, it either got worse, or something else broke.

She also felt weaker than she ever had in her entire life, and she hated it. Being strong was what made Riza, Riza. If she couldn't pick herself back up from this, she wasn't going to be able to be Mustang's bodyguard. But, even breathing seemed to take energy out of her.

Slowly, and with great care, she opened her eyes. She found that she was laying on her side, snuggled up in the blankets, with the sunlight reaching just over her head through the closed blinds. Peering up, she saw Colonel Mustang reading a newspaper as he sat at her bedside. His brows were furrowed and he looked so stressed. She could tell from the bags under his eyes that he'd gotten little sleep.

She could only vaguely remember the night before. She'd thrown up, and then collapsed, and she remembered twisting around. Her body became a puppet and someone else was pulling the strings. And then she woke up. But still, she felt like she was missing some presence next to her, and found herself wishing she had something, or someone, to hold on to.

Riza didn't move for a long moment. She wanted to give the Colonel the chance to read the paper and spend one waking moment not entirely focused on her. She felt awful about how he was spending his days attending to her care, but she was beginning to realize how serious all of this was. This wasn't an ordinary illness. So, she couldn't just have ordinary care. It was strange, having Roy look out for her now the way she had for him all of these years. It was also nice, and she felt comforted knowing he was around.

A cough gave her conscious status away and Roy instantly flipped the paper down. "Riza," he breathed, glad to see her amber eyes looking back at him. All formalities had been dropped for him. At this point, he didn't care what she wanted to be called, or what he'd called her for years. She was Riza. She always had been.

"Yes, sir?" she whispered out, and Roy wished again she wouldn't speak. Although tired, and thin, and pale, he could pretend for a moment she wasn't on death's door if she didn't speak in that low, broken tone.

"I'm glad you're awake." he finally said, realizing she thought he was going to say more. They shared a comfortable moment before he knew he had to ask another question. "Are you hungry? Thirsty?"

"Thirsty," she replied and Roy stood.

"You'll have to eat something later." he reminded her before he went and brought back another glass of water for her, and also grabbed the medicine. Even with all of the sleeping and passing out, she was at least consistent with taking it, and Roy was grateful to at least have that.

He slowly sat her up and helped her sip the water and take the pill. She then slumped back against the pillows, utterly drained from even that little bit of movement.

"I'm fucked up." she finally said and Roy was surprised by her frankness and use of language. Then again, he'd been surprised by many things this week, and perhaps everyone was a little different when affected by such a high fever.

"Yeah," he agreed. "You are." He smiled at her and placed his hand on hers. "But you're strong, you'll be fine."

Riza shook her head. "Something happened to me." She said. "This isn't a normal illness. I keep getting better, and then getting worse. One step forward, two steps back. And I was fine for weeks."

"We're trying to find a doctor," Roy replied, not knowing what else to say. Riza looked uncomfortable with the idea but didn't say why, and Roy didn't ask. He was too focused on making sure she did see someone and that she got help.

"This isn't normal," was all she could think to say again. She didn't have the words, nor the strength, nor the mental capacity at the moment to try to convey to Roy what she was trying to tell him. And, though they had been together for years and he knew when she was saying much more with her words, he thought it was more the fever talking than anything else.

"Of course not, I've never seen anyone this sick before." Roy placed a cool cloth over her head once more and she groaned at him. His eyes flashed with worry, as he thought she was in pain, but she was just annoyed he wasn't reading more into her words. "Hey, relax."

"No, Roy," she said sternly, and the man was surprised by her lack of formality. Maybe she really was out of it. "Something is hurting me. Like a curse. I have a bad feeling about this." She looked up at him, trying to catch his eyes so he could see how serious she was. But, even though they shared a look, all Roy saw were tired and fevered eyes and a woman who needed more rest.

"Get some sleep, Riza. Last night was rough," Roy just sighed and moved to help her lay down, but the woman shifted suddenly and squirmed away from him. She glared at him, and Roy had no idea why she looked so upset with him.

"Roy, listen to me," she said harshly, but her anger did nothing to prove her case. Instead, the man just thought she was going crazy from the fever. "You have to help me figure out what's wrong. This isn't normal. This isn't a normal illness." The Colonel could be quite stubborn and so could she, but she wished he didn't have to pick now of all times to be so thick-headed.

"I'm trying, okay? We're going to find a doctor, and Elric is coming over to see if he can find anything in the meantime." Roy said pleadingly, finding himself hurt that Riza seemed so angry at him.

"I don't want a doctor," she said, "That will be no help."

"You sound insane, Riza, go to sleep." Now, his hurt was turning into irritation, as it often did. His voice took on a harsh tone and Riza looked a little shocked at him calling her words insane.

"How dare you!" she quickly turned to anger as well. "I know you're thick-headed, Colonel, but I wish for once in your life you'd listen to me." Her face flushed with anger and fever, and if she'd had any strength at all, she looked like she would have jumped and strangled him. "I'm trying to tell you something that will help and you're blowing me off."

"I already am trying to help!" Roy shouted back. "Why do you think I'm not? I've been taking care of you for two days, and I've almost lost you more than I care to think about. You need rest and sleep, and a doctor, okay? Can you stop being so stubborn and just fucking relax?"

Riza's eyes looked murderous and she wished she had the strength to reach for the gun Roy didn't know she had taped behind her headboard. Black spots poked holes in her vision as she felt her anger rise, and thus, her temperature was also rising. "I know what I need," she said, her voice beginning to wheeze. "You're… the one who… doesn't know…" She coughed and placed a hand on her burning head. Roy realized he'd fucked up.

"Alright, alright Riza, I'm sorry." He said, his anger quickly dissolving into worry for his friend. He placed one hand on her own and the other on her back and tried to lean her into the sheets. She didn't have the strength to resist him.

"Something… is wrong, Roy," she huffed, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's bigger than you think… It's…. Dangerous."

"I know, I know, okay?" Roy pleaded. "Just rest. I'll figure it out."

"Don't blow me off!" she said quickly and began coughing, a dry, hollow hack that made Roy worried she was about to cough up blood. When she was finally done, after what seemed like forever but was only a minute or so, she groaned with pain.

"Riza, I'm not." the man said honestly. "I promise, I'm not, okay? I'm listening. I will figure this out, okay? You're right, this isn't normal. Something happened, and there's something else going on." He didn't know how much he believed it himself, but he saw that repeating what she'd told him comforted the woman and she became less tense.

Reaching up, Riza grasped Roy's shirt. "Please," she said softly. "Don't let your emotions… or your temper... get in the way."

The Colonel stared at her for a minute and brought his hand to meet hers. He gently pried her hand from his shirt but didn't let go. Instead, he held it, her small calloused hand in his own, larger calloused one. He leaned down and pressed her hand to his forehead before lowering it to his lips. He kissed her hand softly and then set it back on the bed.

"I won't. I promise."


	7. Poison

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the reviews and kudos! It always means a lot! Enjoy this next chapter!

When Riza's eyes finally slipped closed, Roy was so grateful she was finally asleep and not yelling at him anymore. He hated it enough when she started in on him in normal circumstances, but when she looked so sick and still wanted to fight him, he knew she was serious.

A knock on the door broke him of his thoughts and he knew the Fullmetal Alchemist was there. He went downstairs and opened the door to find Edward smiling tightly back at him.

"How is-"

"Awful, get in," Roy said shortly. He didn't have time for pleasantries. "Did you find someone?"

"No," Edward said as he tossed his coat on a chair. "No one can, or wants to, help. The doctors who do want to help already have many patients lined up. I did call Winry. She's getting on the next train out tomorrow."

Roy sighed and he leaned heavily against the wall by the stairs. Edward regarded the older man closely, and realized that Mustang looked like all the energy had been drained out of him. He looked so tired, and also so confused as he placed his head in his hands. Ed felt bad for him. He couldn't imagine something like this happening to Win… er, someone.

"What happened?" Ed asked, coming over and placing a hand on the man's shoulder. Roy glanced at him for a moment and shook his head.

"We got into an argument."

"You fought with a sick lady? Dude," Edward said, and Roy glared at him dangerously. The boy felt bad immediately. He sometimes didn't say the best things in stressful situations. "Sorry," he said quietly. "What did you fight about?"

"Riz- Lieutenant Hawkeye thinks there is something more going on. That it's not a normal illness. She keeps saying 'something bigger is going on,' but I don't know what that could mean." Roy sounded absolutely exhausted, and Ed knew he hadn't been sleeping. He found himself feeling very worried for the Colonel because it looked as though he would be laid up right next to Hawkeye if he wasn't careful.

"Something bigger, huh?" Ed pondered that for a moment. "Well, I don't know what that could mean, but I'll take a look and see if I can find anything." He walked upstairs and Roy slowly followed. Pushing the door open, Ed entered the bedroom where Riza lay in a fitful sleep. She was tossing and turning and grimacing in pain. If it was possible for her to look paler than before, she absolutely did, and Roy felt his heart drop at the sight.

The men came forward and Roy tried to still her flailing form while Ed checked her over. He, of course, wasn't a doctor, but knew a little something, though not enough to clearly identify what was wrong with the woman. He glanced over at her medicine and popped the top open and grabbed a pill.

Roy, meanwhile, was calling to Riza, trying to get her to wake up, or be still, or something that didn't involve her thrashing about. At least, he figured, she wasn't seizing, but she was burning to the touch. She began to cough and Roy sat her up, worried she was going to begin choking on blood or throwing up, but she didn't.

As her coughing fit ended, he pulled her close to him and she seemed to relax a little, but was still moaning in pain. Roy shushed her and stroked her hair, and patted a cool cloth around her face.

"Roy," she whispered, and he wasn't sure if she was awake or not, but he placed a hand on her cheek.

"Riza, shhh," he said gently. "Just rest, it's okay. I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry, sir." She said, despite his request to keep quiet. Roy almost found himself laughing. An apology now seemed laughable, and he couldn't believe that in all her pain, the only thing on her mind was formally apologizing. But, he was also grateful in a way because it proved to him that Riza was still herself, even when in the throes of a fever.

"I'm not mad," he said kindly. "I never was. But it's alright."

She didn't say anything more, though still struggled in pain. At least, Roy felt, she wasn't thrashing as she had before. He glanced up, and saw Ed's eyes go wide as he looked at the pill bottle.

"When did you last give Riza her medicine?" Edward asked, turning to Roy.

"I don't know, a few hours ago? Why?" he asked.

"Shit. Fuck, shit." Edward didn't answer his question and instead ran from the room and into the bathroom. Roy jumped up, quickly following after him and caught Edward as he dumped the pills into the toilet and flushed them.

Roy's eyes widened, and he saw red.

Lunging for the boy, he grabbed him back and peered into the toilet as though the pills would still be there. He turned to Edward, looking as angry as he ever had been, and Ed was afraid for a moment that Roy was going to burn him right then and there. And, to his credit, Roy was certainly debating the idea.

He threw Ed against the wall, causing some toiletries on the sink to fall over with a high pitched clicking sound. "What the  _fuck_  did you just do? Riza needs those pills, you bastard! Are you crazy? How could you?" Roy's voice was loud, but deep with an angry fury that Edward didn't think he'd ever heard before. The man wanted so badly to murder the boy, but he instead gripped Edward's arm so tightly, they both thought it might break.

"Ow, stop! Colonel!" Edward shouted back, just as loudly but more desperate. "I'm saving her life, Mustang! Those pills were killing her!"

Roy's eyes widened and he let go of Edward. The younger man rubbed his arm ruefully while Roy's face circled through pain, anger, and utter confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about?" he asked, his voice now hoarse from shouting at the Alchemist.

"I recognized those pills from my research. The size, the smell. They were poison, Mustang," Edward explained. "Designed to keep her sick. That's why she got worse after taking them. A few more and she'd be…" Ed couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to; the Colonel knew exactly what he meant.

Roy slumped against the wall and let out a shaky breath. He then absolutely crumbled and put his head in his hands. Ed wanted to come over and comfort the older man, but he was also afraid that his anger had not subsided.

"Roy…" Edward started.

"I've been killing her." Roy interrupted, sounding defeated. Broken.

"No, Colonel, you couldn't have known."

"I've been killing her, Edward. I've been literally giving her poison."

"And what was the alternative?" Edward rationalized. "A doctor prescribed her something, you gave it to her. It would have been stupid not to."

They sat in silence for a long moment, the only sound breaking through being that of Roy's sharp and heavy breaths. Edward wanted to comfort the older man, but he didn't move any closer. He just watched, not sure if he should give the Colonel space, but also not wanting to leave.

"Colonel," Edward started. Being soft was not his strong point, but now that the war was over, he was trying to reinvent himself. He accepted his past as a reckless, wild orphan, but now he was ready to move on to becoming a reckless, but slightly less stupid, man. "You love her, don't you?"

The question lingered in the air for a moment and Edward thought he wasn't going to get an answer. That was fine, he just figured he'd ask. But he saw the Colonel slowly nodding his head, and he knew the answer was a firm 'yes.'

Edward smiled. He'd always known, and really so did everyone else. Especially after what happened on that day when they'd all fought together, when he saw how they looked at each other, how scared they were to lose each other, it was obvious. They had a kind of silent, unspoken care for each other that went beyond love, if there was such a thing. At the time, Edward, being a kid, ignored it, but looking back on it, it was the kind of love people wait lifetimes to find.

"I think she loves you too." Ed finally said and the Colonel looked at him strangely. What in the world did some kid know about love?

"How would you even know?" Roy asked with a bit of bite, though he truly didn't mean to sound harsh.

Ed laughed. "Really, Colonel, you're dumb if you think everyone else hasn't noticed," he said. "The way you two act and look at each other… It's obvious. You guys have really only fooled each other."

Roy found himself smiling. For how stupid that boy could be, he really saw through people. Glancing at the toilet, he sighed and looked back at Ed as he both picked himself off the ground. They walked back to Riza's room, finding the woman to have stilled and relaxed, though her body was entirely too warm. Ed grabbed some ice and Roy worked it around her head and neck, hoping to cool her down.

"Hopefully," Edward said. "If we just let her body try to recover on its own, she'll be alright."

Roy nodded. He looked down at Riza's sleeping face, scrunched with pain and exhaustion. He couldn't believe someone had done this to her. Poison wasn't prescribed by accident, someone had done this deliberately. He didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but he was angry, and his emotions were almost too much for him to handle.

"Colonel?" Edward asked and Roy looked over at him with a burning emotion Ed had never seen before.

"Yes, she'll get better," he said in a low, dangerous voice that didn't sound at all like his own. "But I'm going to kill the motherfucker who did this to her."


	8. Into Light

Roy set up shop at Riza's bedside, trying to figure out who had given her the 'medicine' that nearly killed her. Edward was also on the ground, investigating the doctors and nurses who were staffed when the hospital opened to help with Roy and Riza's injuries. There had to be something there. No one just gave out poison in prescriptions, and as the only patients in the hospital, there was no way this was a mistake. The question that lingered in Roy's mind, though, was whether or not it was actually meant for him.

The idea that the pills were originally meant for the Colonel killed him. If he could do anything to take this pain away from Riza, he would in a heartbeat. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her and watching her sleep for days, fevered and in pain, because he hadn't been vigilant enough was the worst punishment he could imagine.

Riza slept for three days. For three days, Roy worked at her side, calling around, having others track down doctors and pharmacists. For three days, she seized, coughed up blood, ran fever after fever, and whispered nonsensically to herself. Sometimes she seemed like she was awake, but her words and actions told Roy she was very much stuck in her mind. He knew one more pill and she likely would not be alive. Roy wasn't sure if she knew he was even there, but she didn't seem to appreciate when he left the room because she would moan louder and cry out whenever he did, so he did his best to stay.

"Roy," she whispered on the second day of her haze. Roy was talking with Ed on the phone he'd connected in her room. He glanced over at her and, seeing she was awake, he quickly hung up and turned to her.

"Hey, Riza." He'd long since dropped even attempting the formalities, and so had she in her fever dreams. He took her hand, but her eyes didn't open, and to his dismay, he knew she was not able to break through the barrier that separated her from consciousness and the dream world she was stuck in. She'd been trying so hard lately, and he was hopeful she'd truly wake for soon.

She had fallen silent, so Roy returned to his paper and had almost forgotten she whispered anything in the first place when she spoke again.

"Father wants you." Her words were slurred and low, but Mustang could hear everything clearly. He glanced up at her with a confused expression on his face but decided he would humor her.

"I'll be right there, Riza," he said, barely pulling his eyes from the words on the pages. She fell silent again for a long while and Roy began jotting down some numbers and addresses he wanted Edward to follow up on.

"... into hell." Roy snapped back up.

"Riza?"

Another long silence. "I'm following you."

"I know. That's your fault, though." He chuckled and reached over, grasping her hand once more. Even though he knew she wasn't really lucid, he enjoyed these moments where he could talk to her. Her words made no sense and he couldn't follow her train of thought because something was happening behind the scenes that he wasn't able to see. But her voice was what mattered.

"I'm trying, sir. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

Once again, she fell silent and Roy went back to his list.

"Black Hayate shouldn't be on the couch."

"I'll be sure to tell him that."

"We need more milk."

"We?"

"Roy?"

"Yes?"

There was a pause. "I love him."

Roy froze and stared at her for a moment, but quickly shook his head. There was no way that line of thinking was connected because none of those thoughts were connected. There was no rhyme or reason to what she was saying, though it did give him quite the shock.

"Oh?" was all he said, laughing nervously. There was too much to do to worry about the mumblings of a fevered woman. Or maybe he didn't want to accept that she'd loved him too, but he'd missed all the signs.

"I do. I do." She mumbled those words over and over again until she was merely moving her lips with no sound coming out. And then, finally, her lips stopped moving at all and she fell silent. Roy kissed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"He loves you too."

* * *

 That night, Riza had another seizure and began coughing up blood. Roy was up into the very early morning, holding her, trying to cool her down, and making sure she didn't choke. Red spots appeared on her mouth and face, down to her neck and onto her clothes, though Roy tried his hardest to prevent that. She moaned in pain and tried to talk, but Roy shushed her each time.

He struggled with the decision on whether or not to change her because he didn't want to be disrespectful, but he also wanted to clean the blood off of her. Around three that morning, he decided he would run her a bath and filled the tub with lukewarm water because he worried cold would shock her system.

He left her long night shirt on and brought in a nightgown he found. He felt extremely embarrassed but told himself there was nothing to feel weird about. She was sweaty, bloody, and gross. She needed a bath.

After the tub had been filled, Roy gently lowered her in, taking care not to get her hair too wet, since he didn't want to leave her with a wet head of hair. Instead, he worked soap and a rag around the blood stains and made sure she was clean of all her dirt and grime. He then just sat there a bit, letting the cooling water help lower her temperature, and she seemed more relaxed than before.

When he felt he'd done enough, he pulled the plug and reached across the bathroom, grabbing a towel off the rack. Quickly, and averting his eyes as best he could, he pulled her nightshirt off and wrapped the towel around her before lifting her up and bringing her back to the bedroom. She instinctively curled into him and seemed much more at ease than she had been, and Roy no longer felt strange about giving her the bath.

He dressed her in a nightgown and tucked her into clean sheets, which he had pulled onto the bed, leaving the dirty ones in a pile on the floor. He'd clean up, uh… eventually. Right now, the important thing was getting Riza settled for the night, and hopefully, she'd go a nice long stretch without making Roy think she was about to die.

Once all was said and done, Roy was exhausted. It was nearing four in the morning and he hadn't slept at all in over twenty-four hours and hadn't slept much before then. Exhausted, and worried Riza would have a seizure and fall off the bed, he climbed up next to her and pulled her close. God, this woman was going to be the death of him, if she wasn't the death of herself first. But, Roy was glad she was still breathing, and that he was still there, and that was all that mattered.

And, that was how Riza woke, when she finally did manage to break through the barrier. It had taken quite the struggle to find a way through, but once she found a way, she wasn't going to turn back. Struggling, she opened her eyes to find her room bathed in sunlight, and she could tell it was almost afternoon. Looking straight ahead, she saw… darkness, and quickly realized she was pressed up against the Colonel. He smelled like sweet spices and his arms were wrapped tightly around her, as though he was afraid she would try to get away.

She moved just slightly, trying not to wake him and got a good look at his face. His mouth was parted slightly as he slept, and a light snore hitched with every breath in. He looked peaceful, but the bags under his eyes told Riza he hadn't slept in a long while, and that this was the first real rest he'd gotten.

She closed her eyes, careful not to fall back asleep, but wanting to sense the fullness of the embrace without being hindered by her sight. She felt weak, but warm and safe. And then she felt guilt because she remembered the last thing she'd said to him was in anger. She'd been so mad at the Colonel for not taking her seriously, though, now that her fever was down she could look back and realize that she did sound outrageous. Not to mention, Roy had been tired and was at his wits end with her. She shouldn't have pushed him.

Riza nestled her head in the crook of Roy's arm and dozed off. She didn't fully fall asleep, but some time passed before Roy suddenly shifted and perked his back up. He opened his eyes first and groaned as the sunlight bore holes straight into his eyes. Gently, he tried to untangle himself from Riza and that was when she opened her eyes. He looked surprised, and then thankful because he knew by looking at her that she was really awake for the first time in a while.

"Hey." he said softly.

"Hi," she whispered back.

Roy pressed her head into his chest and gave her a big hug. She felt him let out a huge sigh of relief and knew that she was not waking from a normal night of sleep.

"How long-" she started, but Roy knew what she was trying to ask.

"Three days."

Shit. Three whole days. Roy's voice was heavy with emotion, and she knew it had not been an easy three days. And, for the woman who had sworn to be at Roy's side no matter what, it was tough knowing she'd been essentially MIA for three long days.

"What happened?" she asked and Roy pulled her away and looked into her eyes.

"A lot," he said after a moment. "Everything. But you're awake now and that's what matters." He decided she didn't need to know about the fever dreams or the seizures, or all the times she nearly choked on her own blood. "You don't feel so warm."

"I don't think I am," she said, and she was being honest because while she knew she still had quite a high temperature, she didn't feel like she was on fire.

"Are you hungry?" Roy asked and picked himself up so he was half sitting, half laying down with his weight resting on one of his arms. Riza felt like she'd lost something when he untangled himself from her and wished they'd stayed like that a little longer.

"Just thirsty. I'll eat something a little later with my medicine." She didn't know if they'd been able to give her the medicine while she was asleep. But, she also noticed that Roy's face darkened as he got up off the bed. "Colonel?" she asked.

"You aren't taking that medicine anymore." he said with a heavy tone, and she knew something big had happened while she was asleep.

"I'm sorry, sir?" she asked, not completely understanding.

"The medicine was poison," Roy said after a long pause. "Someone gave you poison instead of medicine. We don't know who, or why, or if it was even supposed to be for you. But that was what was making you so sick."

Riza stared for a long moment, completely astounded that it was her own doing, her own medicine that she had received, or thought she received, from the hospital, that made her so sick. It wasn't her wound or a mysterious illness that nearly killed her. It was the very thing she thought was trying to help.

It was something bigger.

But, looking at Roy, Riza couldn't bring herself to inform him she'd been right all along. He wasn't looking at her and his face had a sour, dark look that told her he blamed himself. Being right didn't matter so much when that hunch was what made Roy look so guilty.

"It's not-"

He held a hand up and she stopped herself. "Fullmetal already told me," he said. "I know." But, his tone told her that while he knew, and had been told, he didn't believe it. Riza searched herself for something she could say to make all of this hurt leave him, but there was nothing, and she knew there would be nothing to absolve him of the guilt he felt.

"Well, then I guess we'd better figure out who did this," Riza said after a long moment. "Before they do this to someone else."

Roy glanced up over at her and furrowed his brows. She held his gaze steadily and with eyes shining from determination. The woman knew what he was thinking. He'd picked up on the 'we' in her sentence and was trying to decide first if she was serious, and second if he should call her on it.

" _We_  aren't doing anything," the Colonel said slowly, still studying her face for signs that she'd merely been joking. She really couldn't be serious, after a week of being on death's door and three days pretty much in a coma. But Riza Hawkeye was not one for jokes, and he could tell from the simple sparkle in her eyes that she was determined to stick her hands in this. "You need to focus on getting better. That stuff did a number on your system, it'll be a month or more before you're even out of bed."

Much to his surprise, Riza laughed. He would have smiled too, had he not been so concerned and confused. Roy missed that laugh, but he also knew she was laughing at him. "A month, sir?" she asked. "You really don't know me at all." And, he knew, she was absolutely right. The idea that Hawkeye would spend a month doing anything was laughable. However, he didn't want her pushing herself. He'd come too close to losing her.

"I'm serious, Lieutenant," he frowned, using her title for the first time in a while. "You're not touching this, that's an order."

"I refuse."

"It's an order."

"I  _refuse_."

They glared at each other, and Roy found himself strangely thankful she had the energy to call him out and argue with him like this. God, he missed those eyes that burned with loyalty and confidence. She knew, as did he, that Roy could beg, plead, and order, but Riza was going to help whether he liked it or not.

Roy was the first to break. He always was.

"Fine!" He threw his hands up in frustration and turned away from the woman, who tried to hide a victorious smile. "But I swear to god, Lieutenant, if you manage to hurt yourself more or push too hard, you'll be answering to me!"

"I always do, sir," Riza smiled as she leaned back into the pillows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating schedule? What's that? Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! A liiiittle cliche but it helps build up the romance sub-plot so there you go. Thanks again for all the love on my story! It means a lot!


	9. The Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As always, much love to everyone who reads my stories! Thank you for making what I do so worthwile! Of course, I'm trapped in RoyAi hell, so I've got quite a few more ideas floating around. I'll get the next chapter of Gifted out soon and I need to get back to work on the "sequel" for this work. But, I've also got a RoyAi fantacy!AU that's taken over.. ahh so much to write, so little time! Anyway, thanks again!

Riza spent the rest of the day sometimes dozing, and sometimes looking over the papers that detailed the investigation Roy and Edward had been leading. There was a lot written down, and a lot of names and addresses crossed off and check marked, but they'd also hit a lot of dead ends and didn't have any viable leads left.

Winry and Edward came over that evening, and they both looked relieved that Riza had finally woken up. While Roy and Edward talked about where the investigation was going, Winry did a brief check up on Riza. She'd warned everyone that she wasn't a real doctor, and only had expertise in automail surgeries, but she also had a skillset in bringing down fevers and was happy to impart her knowledge about that.

"I think you'll be alright," she concluded as she packed her medical bag back up when she was done. Riza smiled lightly. "It's a miracle too. Ed told me some of the stuff what was in those pills. Someone else would have been dead days ago."

Riza just smiled, unsure how to respond. Winry wasn't trying to scare her and had meant those words as a compliment to her strength and resilience. But, dying scared the woman. If she died, who was going to look after the hotheaded Colonel? Sure, Edward was there, but the boy was just as stubborn as he was.

"How's the whole investigation going?" Winry asked, changing the subject.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Riza replied. "The Colonel has only let me see so much. He doesn't want me to stress myself out. But, I feel fine." She rolled her eyes a little and smiled over at the girl who smiled back at her.

"I know the feeling," Winry said. "I've been Ed's auto mechanic since… Damn, since forever it seems. I've seen the things he does, the battles he's in. But he still feels the need to protect me. It's infuriating, but I know he does it because he cares."

Riza nodded with a light laugh. "Well, I don't know what Edward would do without his mechanic," she said kindly. "But yes, it's aggravating, especially since I'm trained to take care of both him and myself."

Winry sat on the edge of the bed and shrugged at her. "It doesn't matter when they care so much."

"What do you mean?"

It was Winry's turn to laugh and Riza frowned at the girl, unsure of what she had said that made her so funny. Was she still making no sense? After being fevered for so long, she sometimes doubted her words and actions.

Winry glanced back at the older woman and shook her head. "You really don't know, do you?" she asked. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, the Colonel cares about you more than anything in the world."

Riza shifted uncomfortably and looked away, feeling a flush of embarrassment cross her cheeks. "Oh. Did he say something?" she asked awkwardly, though she didn't know if she really wanted the answer to her question. Winry gave her an odd look and stood, grabbing her bag.

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Lieutenant." the girl said apologetically. "It's just… Hard not to notice. You know, the way he looks at you and talks about you. I mean, he gave up a whole week of work to stay here with you."

"Oh, yes. We're really good friends. We've known each other a long time."

Winry just looked at the woman, confused for a moment, but broke into a forced smile. She patted Riza's shoulder and turned for the door. "Of course you are," she said. "Anyway, get well soon, Lieutenant Hawkeye."

"Yes, and have a safe journey home, Winry." The door open and shut, and the girl was gone, leaving Riza alone with her thoughts. She sighed and flopped against the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. Anyone would have stayed with her, she told herself. Roy was just such a good friend. Plus, he couldn't have his bodyguard and second in command die on him, so really he was just being a good strategist.

A few minutes later there was a light knock on her door and Roy entered the room. He smiled at her and sat down in the chair by her bed. "They left," he said. "Winry said you're doing great. Your temperature is down and you should be recovered soon. She's going back tomorrow."

"Any new leads?" Riza asked him, wanting to shake herself of her thoughts and get back to the important matters at hand.

"Yes." Roy pulled out a small notebook and opened it, handing it over to her. She glanced at the page he'd open to and read the name. "Julia Huntington?" she asked.

"She's been missing for over a year," Mustang explained. "Up and vanished, left behind a husband and three kids. She was a doctor at the military hospital, but after Bradley was ousted and the new Fuhrer put into power, she joined the rebellion and left."

"So, she's a rebel doctor, probably helping out her cause on the battlefield, or she's dead." Riza shrugged, handing the notebook back to the man. "What does that matter?"

"She was spotted in the city two days ago," Roy said. "Wearing her military medic uniform and walking around the hospital. Someone, an old coworker, called out to her and she ran off. Hasn't been seen since. She also hasn't contacted her family or any friends."

Riza frowned. "And you think she's the one who poisoned the pills?"

"No, but it's strange and it's a start," Roy said. "We've gotten a lot of information but no real start on where to truly begin."

"I see." Riza nodded and then looked down at the sheets. She gripped the fabric in her hands and didn't look back up. "And if this is another piece of useless information?"

"We keep looking."

"For how long?"

Roy looked at her incredulously. "For how… what?" he asked her and bent down, trying to catch her eye, but she wouldn't look at him. "Lieutenant, we'll keep looking until we find who did this to you. If for no other reason than because we're worried they might do it to someone else. But, most importantly because I won't let anyone get away with hurting y-." He stopped himself short, realizing his words had gotten away from him. "No one hurts my men."

Riza just nodded and stayed silent for a moment. Roy tried to look at her face, but she was half hidden from him, and he couldn't tell what the expression he could see meant. Finally, she regrouped herself and put on a neutral face, and turned to her boss.

"How is everything at the office, Colonel?" she asked him, though she knew he hadn't been back. She didn't know why she bothered with a question like that, or why she was fishing for information she probably didn't want.

"Uh, I'm not sure. Havoc's been holding down the fort," Roy shrugged. "I've been here."

"You're probably behind on paperwork."

"There are some things more important than paperwork."

"Sir, if anyone found out that you have been staying at my house instead of going into the office…" Riza started.

"Then I would tell them you've been extremely sick, and with the hospitals closed, there was no one else who could help take care of you. What? You think I'd get in trouble for helping a sick soldier? Even the military isn't that cold." He frowned at her and placed a hand on hers. She flinched at the touch, but despite moving a bit, didn't pull her hand away. "Riza, what's wrong?"

"I just worry you'll get in trouble, Colonel." Riza refused to use his name, though she loved the way hers rolled off his tongue. He looked at her with great concern and found himself feeling hurt, though she hadn't insulted him.

"We're not going to get in trouble," Roy replied. "With everything going on, you think the military really cares about a Colonel taking care of his sick Lieutenant? They have much bigger things to worry about."

Riza nodded slowly and ran a hand through her hair. She suddenly felt so tired, and Roy saw her start to sag with exhaustion. It was only the first day of her truly being awake, and only a few days since she'd stopped taking the poisonous pills. It was a wonder she'd been able to stay awake so long.

"Why don't you go to sleep, Riz-Lieutenant?" Roy suggested, struggling to use her title instead of her name. "I'll fill you in on everything in the morning and we can start working, together, to find out who did this." And then that would be a great distraction from the thoughts and feelings swirling around in their heads.

"Yes, good idea, Colonel," Riza replied as she began to make her bed ready for sleep. "Sir, I forgot to mention, there's a futon in the spare room. So you don't have to sleep on the couch."

Again, Roy found himself hurt by that, but he didn't know why. With Riza getting better by the hour, it wasn't like he needed to stay with her every second of the day. And a futon was much more comfortable than the small couch downstairs. But, having held Riza in his arms so often throughout the week, not getting to do so was saddening. Roy realized that might have been the first and last time he'd get to hold her all night like that, and he yearned for the physical touch.

Riza saw all of these emotions passing through his face but didn't say anything else. The man just nodded at her comment and wished her a good night's sleep, and then left. Riza was then left alone in her room as the last light of the evening slowly dimmed her room. Eventually, she was sitting in darkness, completely alone.

* * *

The next day, the two got to work in her room, calling around and following up on leads they'd found. There was no more discussion of the talk they'd had the night before, and they were both glad. Roy found himself constantly catching his words in his mouth before he called the Lieutenant 'Riza', though the woman had no problem falling back into formal phrasing. Roy even wondered if the sick woman who'd called out his name so often was even the same person as the one sitting up in the bed, thin reading glasses perched on her face as she flipped through some notes.

He wanted to tell her about her fever dreams, but then he wondered his motive. Of course, he could tell her she'd insinuated she loved him, but she'd probably just push it aside and tell him to get back to work. He also just wanted to come out and say it, since he'd realized how much he couldn't stand to lose her over the past week. Of course, he'd always known he'd be devastated if anything ever happened to her, but she had been so close to actually dying that he wanted nothing more than to tell her his true feelings.

But where was that going to get him? 'Riza, I love you and I always have, and you said something about love when you had a super high fever that I thought was about me. And, even though we can't actually be together because I'm your boss, I still love you and always have. Ya know, just wanted you to know that.'

It was absolutely absurd. Besides, he knew their relationship was likely going to shift a bit since he'd spent so much time taking care of her. There was no need to say the wrong thing and change it more. Sometimes change was a good thing, but he liked the way life was now and didn't want to say something to make things worse.

"Fullmetal says there was another sighting of Julia by the medical library near the city center," Roy said as he walked into the room, having just gotten off the phone with the younger boy.

"Good, I have a source that confirms the same," Riza said. Although the man had wanted her to take it easy, she'd thrown herself fully into the investigation. She wanted to get to the bottom of this, both because she wanted to find out what was going in, and because she wanted Roy to start focusing on other things.

"I'll send someone out tomorrow to investigate," Mustang nodded as he sat down on the chair by her bed and jotted some notes down in the notebook on the end table. The chair and table had become his makeshift desk, and his papers were scattered around it. "How are you feeling?"

"Good," Hawkeye replied simply. "I should be able to help in the field by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Roy's head snapped up to look at her. "You've only just started to get better and god knows what that poison did to you. You should stay down for a week, at least."

"I'm fine, sir. I'll know if I'm not feeling well," was the short reply. She looked over at him and saw the pleading in his eyes. It was strange since they were not the eyes of a Colonel ordering his soldier. They were the eyes of a friend begging their loved one to relax a little. "Sir, really, don't worry about me. I'm fine. I'd just worry about making sure whoever is putting poison in pills is caught."

Roy looked back at his paper and sighed. "You're too stubborn."

"If I wasn't, sir, I wouldn't be myself."

"Damn right." Something sounded almost charming about the way he said it, though she knew he meant it ruefully. "Even when you were sick you couldn't help arguing with me."

"I am very sorry that I yelled at you, Colonel. I know I was ill, but I still shouldn't have done that." The Colonel looked up and smiled openly at his subordinate.

"You said some pretty stupid shit when you were asleep, Lieutenant," he chuckled. "Arguing with me isn't even on the list."

"Oh?" Riza was intrigued. "What else did I say?" Perhaps this was the conversation they needed to bring themselves back to a light hearted, amicable atmosphere. Something had lingered in the air since Riza had woken up a few days before, and it felt sad and apprehensive. It also made working a little more difficult.

"Oh, you told Black Hayate to get off the couch," Roy recalled.

"Well, he's not supposed to be on there. You didn't let him on, did you?" The man looked over at her, knowing the dog was on the furniture right now since he'd just come from downstairs.

"Uh, no. No, of course not, Lieutenant." Riza knew he was lying. She didn't mind and instead found it funny.

"What else?"

"You wanted me to go see your dad," Mustang continued. "And that we needed milk. And then you said that you lo-" He stopped short and his eyes widened, realizing that, as he was reading the paper before him, he wasn't focusing on his words. He didn't want her to know she'd said that and he cautiously looked at her to see if she'd caught him. Which, since she was Riza Hawkeye, she had.

"I what?" Now Riza was curious, if not a little concerned about the look in Roy's eyes. He seemed upset or anxious. It was some sort of emotion between those two that she couldn't quite place.

"Nothing." He said shortly.

"With all due respect, sir, I think I deserve to know what I said while I was unconscious." Riza reasoned, wondering if that would work.

"You should get to bed, it's getting late," Roy said as he stood abruptly, reaching for the light. "If you want to be up tomorrow, you'll need more rest."

"Yes, I know sir, but what did I say?" She had to know now. She was dying to know what in the world she had said to fluster her Colonel so much. "Colonel, please."

Roy looked at her with eyes filled with emotion. They both were still for a long time as they regarded the other. Riza was desperate to know what she'd said, and Roy was desperate not to tell her. But, as was usual, Riza won that battle. Roy mumbled something under his breath and his cheeks heated up, but Riza didn't catch what he'd said.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't hear you."

He mumbled again.

"Sir?"

"You said you love me."

Now, Riza's eyes went wide and she quickly looked away from the man. She didn't say anything for a while, hoping he would leave, but he didn't. "Oh," she said in a small voice and struggled to bring back a neutral, uncaring expression back to her face. When she did look back at him, her face was strained and she looked extremely uncomfortable. "What a stupid fever dream."

Roy watched her for a moment and when she spoke again, he just nodded. "Yeah," he said. "Stupid fever dream."

He turned to the door and Riza caught his arm. "Sir, I-" But she didn't have time to finish the sentence because, in that moment, there was a loud bang from downstairs. The sounds of glass shattering and Black Hayate's feet pouncing onto the floor accompanied by his frantic barks filled their ears. Someone had broken in.

 


	10. The Intruder

 

Roy bolted downstairs before anyone could say another word. Riza leapt up and grabbed the gun that was taped behind her headboard. It was a small handgun, but it would do the trick. She rushed after Roy and scurried down the stairs. Before she even rounded the corner, she heard signs of a struggle.

If there wasn't a dire situation at hand, Riza might have been upset seeing her television already smashed to bits, two legs of her coffee table broken, and one of her chairs roasting in the corner. But, currently, her Colonel was wrestling a dark haired person to the ground trying to pry something out of their hands. Trying to remain hidden, but also get a better view, Riza took a step into the room and saw that the dark haired person was actually redheaded, and was a woman. In her hand, she held a vial, which for one heart stopping moment, Riza thought was red with Philosopher's Stone, but she quickly saw it was filled with a clear liquid.

Roy had the woman pinned to the ground, but he was struggling to both keep her down and pry the bottle out of her hands. He dared not use his flame alchemy at close a range for fear the liquid would react poorly to flame, and also because he didn't want to kill the woman, but instead incapacitate her.

All the Colonel had to do was hold her steady, and he was doing his best, so Riza shakily raised her gun. She closed one eye and then the other, trying to get a feel for where her mark would hit. Usually, she didn't need to do something like that but rushing up and down the stairs was catching up to her and she felt a little dizzy.

With a loud, silencing banging sound, a shot was fired right into the woman's shoulder. She screamed and dropped the vial onto the carpet. Shocked, Mustang looked up, his lips parted in confusion and wonder, and for a moment Riza thought he was going to yell at her, but he instead reached and pocketed the bottle.

The woman was writhing on the ground, clearing in pain from having been shot. "Who are you?" Roy shouted at her. "What are you doing here?" She didn't answer and instead rocked herself onto her back to give her the momentum to kick with her legs. Her feet collided with Roy's stomach with surprising force and she managed to shove him against the wall. His head snapped against the wall with a sickening thud and he dropped and lay still.

"Colonel!" Riza shouted, despite herself, giving away her position in the room. The woman turned to her, emerald eyes glimmering with a hint of rage, but also with amusement.

"Ah, Miss Hawkeye. You're… alive. How disappointing." She smirked and pulled a knife from her jacket pocket.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you not to bring a knife to a gunfight?" Riza asked, holding her gun within range to shoot her in the head.

"Oh, but I'm not fighting you today. Though, it is a shame the plan didn't work. Oh well, there's always another way." The woman turned and in a second she was above Colonel Mustang, ready to plunge the knife into his head. Riza knew the moment the woman didn't come after her that she was going to go after the Colonel, so the two shots to the arm holding the knife came just as quickly.

The woman screamed again and Riza ran forward. She grabbed her by the throat and shoved her against the wall. "Who are you?" Hawkeye asked. "What are you doing in my house? What do you want with me and Colonel Mustang?"

The woman looked at her, surprised her attempt to assassinate the Colonel failed. But then, her lips twisted up into a cruel smile and she just laughed. It was a sickening laugh that made Riza want to shoot a bullet through her stupid goddamn mouth, but she restrained herself, knowing having a prisoner would be better for the investigation as a whole.

But, today the woman would not be her prisoner because she clapped her hands together and let the wall encompass her. Before Riza knew what was happening, the woman was gone, and she found herself holding a fist to her own living room wall.

She stayed like that for a long minute, unable to believe that the strange, evil woman was gone as quickly as she had come. A groan to her left startled her and brought her back to reality, and she rushed to the side of her injured Colonel.

"Colonel Mustang?" She asked, dropping to her knees and helping him into a sitting position against the wall. "Are you awake? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah." He waved her off and placed a hand on his head. He opened his eyes and looked over at her, in time to see a worried frown turn into a light, relieved smile. He let out a soft breath and reached over, pulling Riza into a tight hug.

The Lieutenant was completely caught off guard and found her arms pinned to her side and her torso pressed awkwardly against Roy's. "Um, sir?" she questioned, but he didn't answer her for a long minute. She placed a cautious hand on his back and gave a little pat, and then a moment later he released her.

"You should have stayed in bed."

"And what, let you get killed?" Riza raised an eyebrow and helped the Colonel stand. She picked her gun that had fallen off of the floor and checked it for damages before returning her gaze to the man.

"Where did you even get that? I haven't seen a gun in your house all week!"

Riza gave him an odd look. "You… didn't think I kept guns in my house?" Roy looked down. Okay, that did sound pretty stupid, but he'd expected to find a storage case or a closet or something. He didn't know that there were plenty of guns hidden in much the same way the one behind her bed was-taped behind furniture in inconspicuous, but easily accessible spots.

"Are you alright?" Roy finally asked as Riza was picking up the broken glass from the television off the floor.

"I'm fine, sir. Just tired. But I think that's from fighting and it being a little late," She responded. "Do you know who that woman was?"

"She matches the description of Julia Huntington," Roy said, bending down to help Riza clean up the living room. Most of it would have to wait until morning, and she'd likely need some new furniture.

"I think that's a pretty good lead, then. What's in the vial?"

Roy pulled the little glass bottle out of his pocket. "I have no idea. Perhaps Fullmetal will know. It's too late now to do anything anyway. You should get to bed."

Riza looked over at him and noticed a few spots of blood on his forehead. She leaned over, one hand holding her weight and the other brushing through the Colonel's hair. "Your head is bleeding. Let me get you some bandages." She didn't respond to his request for her to go to bed. She would, but wanted to be sure he was alright first.

Before Roy could respond, Riza was standing and making her way to the kitchen, where she had a small first aid box of bandages and other medicines. She came back and led Roy to the kitchen table, pushing him into a chair so she could wrap his head.

"I hope you don't have a concussion, sir."

"I'm alright," he replied.

"Yes, you are a little thickheaded anyway." She stole a glance at him and he was smiling back at her. They shared a small laugh together as Riza disinfected the area around the wound and then wrapped the bandage around his head. She stepped away admiring her handiwork before gesturing to Roy. "There, all set. Now, I guess it is time for bed."

Roy paused for a moment and didn't say anything. He gazed up at her and took in the sight of her standing over him. The dim kitchen light only partially illuminated her face, but he could see the dark circles under her eyes that looked like they'd become tattooed on her. Her hair finally had been brushed through, but the battle with the woman sent loose hairs flying, and her amber eyes still shone, though were dulled by exhaustion. He saw her nightgown clung to her, the sweat from the fight turning into glue, and sticking her clothes to her body. Her pale face was flushed and she was panting a little, and he knew she'd likely run a temp. A manageable one, but a temp all the same.

And fuck, did she look beautiful.

And here Roy was, again, saved by her thanks to her big smart brain and her amazingly fast reflexes. One week of taking care of her was nothing compared to what he owed her for her loyalty and dedication all of these years. But, she'd never asked for anything in return. As Roy moved up the ranks she never so much as asked for a dollar more in her paycheck, or a new title, or even new work boots. All she requested was to be at his side and to protect him, and she'd done her job exceedingly well. He knew he couldn't live without her, both because she was responsible for saving his life more times than he could count, and because he loved her more than he'd ever loved anything in the world.

He grabbed her hand and she glanced at him out of shock at how tightly and earnestly he took it. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words were lost on her lips as he stood. Still holding her hand and wrapping his other one around to the small of her back, he pressed himself against her so that there was only the smallest sliver of space between the two of them. She looked up at him, confused, worried, and intrigued. But, she knew what he was going to do. She'd always known, it was only a matter of time.

He kissed her.

His lips pressed against hers with fervent passion and, even though she knew it was coming, Riza still found herself surprised at the feeling of bare contact with another person's lips. It had been a long while since she'd kissed anyone, and she had never before been kissed the way Roy was kissing her now.

Heat sparked between them as Roy grasped the clothes on her back and then moved his hand up to run his fingers through his hair. Grounding herself, Riza reached up and brushed her hands through Roy's black locks before resting her arms around his neck, with her wrists pressed together.

Roy ended the kiss, pulling away slowly and pushing back so that they were not separated from their embrace, but just enough that they were able to look at each other.

"We can't do that again," was the first thing out of Riza's mouth. But, Roy expected that, and he wasn't hurt.

"I know. But we will."

"I know."

"And even if we never did that again, I'd be content," Roy continued, running a hand through her hair again and glancing off to the side to watch her hair fall back into place. "Because I've always dreamed of the day I got to do that. And even if I only get to do it once, I can at least say I did." He paused and looked at her, a small smile playing on his lips. "Are you going to shoot me?"

She pondered the question for a moment, as though he was serious. "I suppose I should."

"But will you?"

"Not tonight." She smiled lightly at him and pulled her arms from around his neck. "But tomorrow is another day."

"I guess I shouldn't push my luck, huh?" Roy asked and dropped his hand to rest on her shoulder. He didn't want a moment to go by where he wasn't touching her.

"Yes. But you will." Riza took Roy's hand and they began to walk upstairs. The futon in the office was forgotten, Roy would be staying with her.

"Riza," he said, looking over at her as he sat down on the bed. She'd gone over to the dresser to find something else to wear to bed.

"Yes?"

"I love you."

She'd just grabbed a shirt from the top drawer and turned to him. There was emotion in her eyes that he couldn't quite place, but it was nothing bad. He'd said the right thing.

"You're pushing it, sir."

He smirked. "I know."

Riza turned and walked to the door. As her hand lingered on the handle, she turned to him and let out a small breath.

"I love you too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Update Day! Thanks so much for all the lovely responses to my story. Reading your reactions makes me so happy to be a writer! Also, I am not very practiced at writing action, attacking scenes and I still struggle with making villans sound believable, but hopefully the end of this chapter makes up for that!


	11. Ignite

They awoke in the morning to a new world. It was exactly the same as the old one, with all of the same people. Black Hayate was still nestled at the end of the bed, the glass still littered the downstairs living room like sharp crystal. But, this was a world where Riza Hawkeye knew Roy Mustang loved her, and she loved him back, and that was the kind of world Roy had always wanted.

It was going to be a different world, one with more secrets and sneaking around. It was a forbidden romance, and they would have to learn to balance their private and public lives. He knew that everyone else knew about his feelings for Riza, but when they weren't spoken aloud, there was plausible deniability. But, once the words came out of his mouth and lingered in the air, once they reached Riza's ears and lit up her eyes, they were real. Roy never weighed the value of well-placed words before, but now he had a newfound respect for just how quickly and totally a few simple words could change his world.

All of that could wait, though. The same military who didn't have time to promote him and didn't have time to move his office or even so much as open the post office, would not have time to care about the personal lives of two soldiers. That isn't to say there may not be consequences down the line, but he felt safe. Besides, as he had learned in the past week after nearly losing Riza, there were more important things in the world than power and status.

Roy's head hurt from hitting the wall last night and as he opened his eyes to let the sunlight fill his vision, he winced. It was going to hurt for a few days, that was for sure. But as he looked down at the golden mop of hair, loosely strewn around the pillow, he found he didn't care much about his headache. As long as Riza was safe, he was content.

She stirred a little as he picked himself up off the bed, but didn't wake. He placed a kiss atop her head and went downstairs to inspect the damages in the full morning light. It was an absolute mess, though that wasn't entirely surprising. Glass was everywhere, the television was broken, and a chair in the corner was still smoldering. He'd left the glass vial on the kitchen table the night before and he went to that first, examining the contents. The liquid was clear and thick, and the bottle reminded him of something seen at a hospital. The mesh on the spout told him it was there so a syringe could soak up the liquid and then be transferred into someone. And, while he didn't have Edward's extensive knowledge on chemicals, he knew that if the red haired woman had it, it was likely lethal.

The question, of course, was why she had it in the first place and what she intended on doing with it.

He grabbed the phone on the end of the counter and dialed Edward's number. It rang quite a few times and, glancing at the clock, Roy wondered if the boy had already left for the day.

Finally, there was an answer. "Ugh. Hello?" called the tired voice into the line. Roy found himself irritated. It was almost ten o'clock and Edward was just getting out of bed. Though, he noted, he was also just getting out of bed himself. But, he'd put away that little bit of hypocrisy in favor of a good morning scolding.

"Were you asleep?" Roy asked, forgoing a typical greeting.

"Wha-Who…? Oh. Mustang. Great." Edward said dryly. "What do you want?"

"Almost the entire morning's gone and you were asleep?" Roy asked again. "If you want to join the military, you have to get up at a reasonable hour! You know this! What will your commanding officer say?"

"Uh, I dunno, dipshit, seeing as you're my commanding officer." Waking up was not one of Edward's strong points, and being woken up, especially by someone like Roy, only made him more grouchy.

"I promise you I'll make your life hell," Roy warned.

"Yeah, yeah, you already do. Anyway, is there a reason why you're calling me this early?"

"This early?" Roy shouted, but then decided there was a slightly more pressing issue at hand. "Nevermind. There was a… situation last night."

"Oh no, is Riza okay?" Edward asked, the tiredness and irritation gone from his voice. He loved making Colonel Mustang mad, but he knew his Lieutenant was a sore spot, especially when ill or injured. Even Edward had enough tact to be sensitive to that.

"Yes, believe it or not, she's actually doing much better since she stopped eating poison," Roy replied dryly. "A woman broke into her house last night. Red hair, kind of tall. She matches the description of Julia Huntington. She escaped after Hawkeye shot her and left behind a vial of some clear liquid. I was wondering if you could come see what it was."

"Yeah, sure I'll be right over," Edward replied quickly, sounding much more mature than the tired boy who'd answered the phone minutes before. "I'm glad you're both okay. And Riza's doing better today?" he asked again, just to be sure.

"Yes, Lieutenant Hawkeye is doing much better and should be back to normal within the week at this pace," Roy confirmed sharply. "I think having Winry come helped too, so be sure to send along my thanks."

"I will, she was glad to come. I'll see you in a bit." They exchanged goodbyes and Roy, who had been toying with the vial between his fingers, set it down on the counter. He walked around the kitchen, deciding to make a little something for breakfast, but couldn't decide what. He wasn't exactly the world's best cook and usually went with pre-packaged granola bars or toast. But, he felt the need to make something special for Riza. The kiss from last night was still making his lips tingle.

"Oh, screw it," he muttered to himself and popped some toast in the toaster. He'd bring up some orange juice and whatever jelly Riza had around the kitchen and call it a breakfast. Besides, he wasn't sure how hungry she'd be, and he didn't want to waste her food.

Meanwhile, Riza had woken up to the sound of shouting, but after understanding the words, she knew that it was just Roy yelling at Edward over the phone. She sighed, shaking her head at the man's antics and buried her face into the pillow. She didn't want it to be daytime and instead wanted the night in Roy's arms to last forever.

Her memories came crashing back to her and she remembered the kiss. Her face heated up with embarrassment as she recalled how they had touched, and told each other of their feelings. It was so sudden, but then again not sudden at all. It was strange, but also it felt so right. But, at the same time, it felt wrong, and Riza knew it was wrong because there were rules against this exact sort of thing. Those rules hadn't changed just because she got sick and she felt guilty for letting her emotions get in the way of being a good Lieutenant. If Roy was ever going to be the leader of this country, he wasn't going to get there by breaking basic rules. And, Riza had to stop him, even if he couldn't stop himself.

She sighed. At least they'd shared one kiss, one night, one moment of open feelings and open hearts. It pained her it would never happen again, but Roy had been right. Even if they never held each other like that again, it would not be a sad thing, because they'd gotten to do it at least once.

She was broken from her thoughts by the sound of the door opening, and Roy entered carrying two plates of toast and two glasses of juice. He was struggling but managing, and Riza stifled a laugh. He smiled over at her and set everything down on the end table.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said in perhaps the most chipper voice she'd heard from him, at least at this hour. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her head, which she seemed to wince at. This was going to be harder to pull away from than she'd hoped.

"Sir, I-"

"So I called Fullmetal and he'll be over sometime today. I bet he'll know what was in that bottle. Then we'll start looking for that woman." Roy handed her a plate of toast which she accepted. She still had words on her tongue and wanted to share them, but Roy was lost in detective-mode.

"Sir, I think-"

"I bet she's around some medical facility. Since they're closed, it's probably easy to break into, especially if she worked at one before. We'll start there and then spread out around the city. I'll get Havoc to start working on this case." Roy laughed as he took a sip of juice. "I'm sure he won't mind getting out of doing official work.

"Sir!" Riza grabbed his hand and he looked over at her. Caught up in trying to figure all of this out and set a course of action, he'd completely missed the woman next to him trying to talk. Also, he noted with a pang of hurt, she wasn't using his real name.

"What's wrong?" he asked and touched a hand to her cheek. "You're not running a temperature. Do you feel sick?"

"No, sir, I'm fine." She said and looked away from him. "But what happened last night… We can't do it again. You are my Colonel and I am your Lieutenant, and we must not lose sight of those roles, no matter how much we would like to." She'd wanted to break the news more gently, but he was giving her no chances to speak, so it all came out at once.

Roy found himself speechless, though not entirely surprised. Riza was always the more cautious one, and she was also often more rational. She was completely right-they had to be careful, otherwise all they'd worked for would be for nothing.

Then again, was it worth it? Roy could have all the power he'd ever wanted, but was it worth the price of not having Riza? She would always be by his side, and he knew that, but her skin was like a drug and he was addicted to it already. He wondered if he would be willing to give it all up for her. But, that wasn't a decision to be made right now.

"Riza," he started, but the Lieutenant cut him off.

"Sir, please," She pleaded. "This is difficult enough as it is."

"Let me plead my case," Roy asked of her and she looked interested in what he'd come up with. While Riza was more rational, Roy had a way of changing the tides to his liking with his gift of charisma. "You're absolutely right. But, right now, the country is rebuilding itself and everyone is so caught up in everything else to notice. It won't be like this forever, but while you're sick, while we're still trying to find who did this to you, can we just… pretend?"

"Pretend, sir?"

"Yes, pretend there are no laws or rules. That what happened last night can last forever. And then, when this is all over, and we go back to our normal lives, we can return to how things were."

Riza pondered this for a long moment before speaking. This had "bad idea" written all over it. "Are you sure that is wise?"

"No," Roy said honestly. "I know it's extremely stupid. But this week has been stupid and this whole thing is stupid and I, Riza, and stupidly in love with you. So I think it all fits."

And there, she figured, he had a point. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "Look, let's just figure everything out when this is over, and you're safe. But for now, can we just go with it?"

It was a dumb idea and would likely only hurt them more. She felt like they were tying a tight knot that would be extremely difficult to undo. But, it was a knot they'd wanted to tie for so long and maybe being tangled together more fully wasn't the worst idea in the world. A part of her wanted to be hopeful that love would find a way, though the rational side of her knew this was far from being a fairy tale.

"Alright." She sighed. "But there's no promises after this is over."

"None at all?" A playful smirk danced on the man's lips.

"I made my promise to you a long time ago," Riza replied. "And that is the only promise you're going to get out of me." She smiled back at him and was glad that the atmosphere in the room had lightened. Thinking about love and loss and relationships and laws tired her, not physically, but emotionally. Going down this path was trying, but when the Colonel leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, she didn't care. For once, she was going to let the hopeful, idealistic Riza win over.

* * *

Edward came over later that afternoon, a little later than Roy had been expecting. As it turned out, the boy had fallen back asleep, and the Colonel took some time to yell at him, but eventually, they were all sat in the living room, discussing actual business. Roy and Riza were on the couch, and Riza had a blanket draped over her arms. She still looked a little pale and was just a little bit warm, but her appearance was like night and day when compared to a few days before. Edward did notice that Roy was sitting closer to her than normal, and seemed fiercely protective, more so than usual. Ed worried that if he even got up to go near her, Roy would set him on fire.

Edward shifted the small bottle in between his fingers as he gazed down at it. Carefully, he held it still and opened the top to take a sniff. He then spent a bit of time with the equipment he brought with him so that he could better see what was in the vial.

"Poison, lots of it." He reported to the two who were waiting with bated breath to see what was in the bottle. "I can't quite tell everything apart by name, but there are a few different things in here and none of it is good."

"Then it's obvious she was here to kill one of us," Roy said grimly, looking at the bottle as though it could jump up and kill them all itself.

"During the fight last night, she mentioned that it was a shame I was still alive," Riza said, her hand cupping her chin. "And that a 'plan' didn't work out. I wonder if it was me they were after. They did break into my house, after all."

"But they must have known I was here too," Roy countered. "So the poison could have been for me."

"Are you two seriously debating who they were trying to kill?" Edward asked with a bemused laugh. "It was probably both of you if given the chance. I think the bigger question is why."

"Someone, or a group, wants to kill a high ranking Colonel who has his eyes on the Fuhrer's seat at a time of great disruption and distress," Roy shrugged. "I don't think that sounds completely out there."

"Yeah, Colonel, but  _why_ ," Edward stressed. "Everyone has a reason for doing things. It's not surprising they want to kill you, but it is a little weird they went after Hawkeye, and we need to know why they're doing it. The more we know, the better chance we have of stopping them."

"We don't know if they were targeting my Lieutenant," Mustang said quickly and with a harsh tone in his voice. Both Ed and Riza looked over at him, startled by his tone and confused as to why he seemed to adamant about that particular point. Roy himself didn't know, but perhaps he just didn't want to feel even more responsible for Riza's illness than he already did.

"Anyway…" Edward started slowly, deciding to put the comment behind them. "I have Alphonse scouting the area hospitals. I'll let you know if we find anything." He stood, getting ready to leave and looked down at the pair. "Something's different about you two."

Hawkeye averted her gaze and Roy narrowed his eyes. "Yes, my Lieutenant is feeling much better," he said in what could have easily been a warning tone. "Thanks for noticing."

"No, no, it's not that," Ed pressed. He then looked between the two again before meeting Mustang's eyes. He'd not forgotten their conversation in the bathroom a few days before, and judging from the glare he was getting, Roy hadn't forgotten either. "Whatever doesn't matter. Glad you're feeling better, Lieutenant. Bye, Colonel!"

The boy left and the Colonel and Lieutenant exchanged a look. "You don't think he knows…?" Riza started, but Roy shook his head.

"Probably does. But he's a smart kid, he won't say anything." Riza was surprised to get that as an answer, but if Roy was sure, then she wasn't worried. Besides, she was too busy trying to get better to worry about things Roy obviously saw as not a problem. There were bigger things to worry about.

And she was right. Just two nights later, they were getting ready for bed. Riza was almost all better, save for a lingering cough, and they knew they were going to have the discussion about leaving each other. Roy firmly believed she needed protection, and Riza believed Roy needed protection. They hadn't really talked about it, though, because they knew they'd just end up yelling at each other.

The light was turned off, the blinds closed, and they were tangled in each other. And then, the phone rang.

They had cornered Maria Huntington at the General Hospital. Before Roy was even off the phone, Riza had a gun in hand and was reaching for another one

"Put your gun away," Roy said as he slipped on his coat and grabbed his two precious white gloves. Riza's eyes narrowed at him and she pursed her lips.

"I'm going with you."

"No you're not, you're sick."

"I  _was_  sick, I'm better now."

"This is an order!"

Riza glare turned even darker. "You can't do that," she said in a low voice. "I'm either your Lieutenant or your lover. You can't just order me around because you're angry with what I choose to do."

Roy groaned in frustration. "Fine, then you're my Lieutenant and am telling you to stay here."

"I refuse, sir." Riza's voice was still hard but took a much more professional tone. Roy was astounded by how quickly she could snap into military-mode, and also by the fact she refused the order at all. He wasn't used to being told no by her, but when he was he knew she was stuck on her decision.

They shared a long look, Roy looking at her in angry surprise, and Riza staring him down with determination. Roy did not want to back down. He couldn't let Riza get injured or worse. If they were really after her, this was like knowingly walking onto a landmine. It had also been a while since Riza had trained since her injury and later illness had kept her down for almost a month. But, he knew that when Riza gave him that look, she wasn't going to be backing down easily.

"Fine," he growled. "But I swear to god if you do something stupid and get yourself killed-"

"I won't, sir," She promised quickly and holstered her gun.


	12. The Hospital

Riza had thrown on a white shirt with long sleeves and green pants with two gun holsters. "We should go now. We don't know how many there are or if the Elric brothers can hold them off for long." She was all business, all ready to go, and absolutely not about to stay and wait for Roy to return. Her eyes burned with determination and dared someone to tell her not to come. They surely would get a warning shot at least.

Roy wanted to wait up, to see if he could convince the woman to stay behind. He knew that would be impossible, but maybe he could stall. He was suddenly very aware of himself, his presence, and his mortality and knew, as he had when she got so sick, that one wrong move would end life as he knew it. Life without Riza in it was no life at all. And, if he died, he wouldn't be alive to see where this crazy story with this crazy woman ended.

But the Lieutenant was already out of the room and down the stairs. There was no stopping her now. And, really Roy needed to be a little more sensitive. While these people had nearly killed someone very close to him, the person who was almost killed deserved a little vengeance. And this particular person was all too eager to put a few bullets in their heads for what they'd put her through.

The cold night air nipped Riza's skin and she wished she'd had the foresight to grab a coat. She figured, though, that they would be warming up soon enough, and it was just one less article of clothing that could get lost or damaged in the midst of came bursting out of the house a moment later, and they both jumped into a car and sped towards the center of the city.

Roy was oddly silent as he drove, and Riza knew he wasn't thrilled she came along. But, she had to be there to protect him and to make whoever did this to her pay. She looked over briefly at her Colonel who kept his eyes trained on the road. On the other hand, this illness had given them the time together, to be honest about their feelings for one another. Of course, that didn't make up for almost dying, but they wouldn't be where they are now without it.

Then again, they wouldn't be where they were without a lot of different, sometimes terrible things happening in their lives. If he'd never studied under her father, if she'd never gotten that cursed tattoo, if she'd never joined the military, if they'd never gone to Ishval, if they hadn't been together on the Promise Day, if she had never been stabbed in the tunnels… She could go on and on and think for days about all the things they'd been through. And, really, it was all of these things that brought out their feelings for one another. They meshed so well because they'd learned and grown with each other and had figured out how to work with one another. She couldn't live without him and, judging by his words and actions this past week, he felt very similarly about her.

But, now wasn't the time to sit and think about their lives. If they wanted to be able to do that in the future, they were going to have to focus on the battle at hand. They had no idea what they were walking into, how dangerous this person was. It could be one deranged doctor, or it could be a stampede of rebels. Either way, they had to be on their guard.

"Please don't stray too far from me, sir," Riza said with a sideways glance and lightly touched her gun's grip. Her voice pierced the near silence and rose above the buzz of the motor. There was a long pause and she knew Roy wanted to come back with some remark about how he wished she wasn't even there in the first place.

"I won't," was all he said, though.

They came to a screeching halt at the front of the hospital, and Riza reached for the handle of the door, but Roy's hand reached her shoulder first. She turned around, and before she could ask what was wrong, his lips met hers in a very quick, very passionate kiss.

He pulled away and studied her face for a brief moment, the look of shock amusing him slightly, and he appreciated that little light in such a dark time. "Don't do anything stupid, Riza," he said, in the same tone he would use to order her around, but the use of her name softened the command, though it carried no less weight.

"I won't," she managed to get out.

They looked at each other for another long minute before they both reached for their respective doors at the same time. Both were glad for that one moment before the battle and they ran for the hospital, Alchemy ready, and gun drawn.

Riza could feel her heart beating in her throat as they ran up the steps to the hospital. They had no idea what they were running into, and it was obvious that whoever was there wanted one or both of them dead. They'd also been just about to go to bed, and she was not completely recovered, so she felt a little tired and hoped that her aim would not suffer because of it.

They burst through the doors and heard bangs and shouts immediately. They easily picked out Edward's voice, since they were so used to it, but between the crashing and mangled shouts, they had no idea how many adversaries they were about to run into.

Roy ran ahead, and Riza covered his back, as was usual for them. They followed the sounds to a large surgical theater and burst through the doors.

The first thing they saw was a flash of blonde hair, and then another. The sight of Alphonse still took both the Colonel and his Lieutenant by surprise, even though it had been a few years since he got his body back. He was a young, handsome boy that bore some resemblance to Edward, but also looked entirely like his own person. And, he was the only one of the brothers who could perform Alchemy, so Ed was guiding him around.

Edward had a dagger drawn, not unlike the one he used to transmute out of his arm, as he had begun to use since his arm was restored. Riza recalled a conversation where she had suggested he opt for something heavier, like a gun, but Ed refused. He wasn't a fan of guns and besides, he was used to using knife-like weapons. There was no learning curve for him with a dagger, and he had spent years sparing to improve his skill.

Alphonse was fighting with the same woman that broke into Riza's home. Her long red hair was tied up in a bun and she looked absolutely insane with a cut under her right eye and a knife in her hand.

"Ah, so you joined us," Julia paused and glanced to the two who just entered the room.

"Who are you?" Roy growled, "What do you want? Why are you trying to kill us?"

"Because, so many go after the country's leader while they're still in power," she replied in a slick voice that made Riza want to shoot her in the mouth. "We decided to go after him before that happens."

Roy stopped short, his eyes wide. Leader? But he wasn't, and Grumman was doing a fine job as it was. Though there had been rumors he would step down, but Roy hadn't even been promoted past Colonel. No way was he planning on picking him, at least not now. There was too much to be done to reunite the country, and everyone knew Grumman was the best person for that job.

"Well, you did a shitty job," he growled. "You never even touched me."

The woman laughed, throwing her head back dramatically. "That is where you are wrong, Colonel," she smirked and pointed to Riza, the tip of the knife in her hand staring the woman down. Riza glared at her and held her gun steady, ready to shoot if and when necessary. She wanted to shoot now but knew they needed to get more information from Julia. "We did touch you. We almost took away your Queen."

Roy was seeing red and just barely stopped himself from lunging forward and strangling the woman. "What do you mean?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"With her out of the way, there's no chance you'd become Fuhrer," she said. "You'd be too sad." She brought a fisted hand to her eyes and made a crying motion. "Then we take out Grumman and Armstrong and storm the Capitol in the confusion. It's a brilliant plan, really."

"Yeah, so brilliant that you're telling us all about it now," Edward rolled his eyes.

"Oh, you won't live to see it come to fruition."

"You're too cocky," Alphonse glared. "But then, who else are you working with?"

"The shadows," she replied cryptically. "It's a small operation, but a strong one and you'd never catch us all if you tried." She then brought an open palm to her mouth in a fake yawn. "Now, it's late and I'm tired. Let's be done with this."

She grabbed her knife and lunged at Roy. Riza began shooting, but she dodged all the bullets. Alphonse put his hands to the ground, morphing the room to his will, but Julia barely stumbled as she made her way to Roy. He snapped his fingers and set off a blaze of fire, some of which she caught, and her sleeve burned off, but she continued forward.

"Colonel!" Riza shouted, trying to aim a shot at her leg before she made it to him, but she was too quick. The tip of her blade dug into Roy's shoulder and he cried out, jumping away as blood littered the ground. Riza was furious, but she could tell the wound was not deep. Roy was still moving his arm freely and snapped his fingers steadily, lighting the room up with dazzling light.

This played out for several long minutes, Julia dodging every attack and Roy, Riza, Ed, and Al, charging after her as she bounced around the surgical theater. They weren't able to get a scratch on her-she was too fast. They also found themselves dodging each other in the small room, and tiles from Alphonse almost hit them at every turn.

And then came the scream. Riza would know the voice anywhere and she jerked her head around to the corner of the room where Roy was. He was grasping at the shoulder that had been cut and from across the room, Riza could see the sweat dripping from his forehead. He dropped to his knees and Riza ran.

"Colonel!" she shouted, dodging an ill-timed attack from Julia, as she ran to the man's side. "What's wrong?" She dropped to the ground and placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder. Julia gazed over at them and laughed.

"Ah yes, about time it kicked in," she chortled, "I was starting to get a little tired."

"What did you do?" Riza roared, fire dancing in her eyes. Edward and Al exchanged a glance. They rarely saw her like this, and only when the Colonel was badly injured. His wound looked alright, but they couldn't see what was happening below the surface.

"Oh, just finishing what I tried to start a few nights ago," Julia smirked. Hawkeye glanced between her and Roy before it clicked. The poison. She had dipped her blade in poison, and when she stabbed Mustang, the poison transferred into his system. Riza's eyes snapped to Roy, who was struggling to remain conscious and she gently placed a hand on his cheek.

Her mind was reeling, and before she could do anything, Edward was charging. "Brother, watch out!" Alphonse shouted as the woman's blade narrowly missed the older boy's head.

Roy moved and tried to stand, but Riza pushed him down. "Rest, sir. We'll finish this and get you help immediately," she said. He glanced up at her and met her worried eyes. He gave her a weak smile and touched the hand on his face.

"I'm okay," he said and Riza wanted to smack him. He was absolutely far from okay, and they didn't have much time. She just glared and stood, drawing her gun. She glanced to Alphonse and nodded her head to Julia, and he knew she wanted him to distract her.

Alphonse morphed the room again and a fist came flying out of the wall. She was so busy with Edward that she missed that it was coming, and she was flung against the opposite wall. Alphonse rushed up and placed his hand on the wall. The pipes came out of the wall and wrapped around the woman.

"Where's the antidote?!" Edward shouted, his sword pointed at the woman's throat. She chuckled again, looking completely unfazed by her capture.

"How presumptuous," she laughed. "An antidote? You really think there is one?"

"There always is," Edward replied confidently. "If you're playing around with that stuff, and you make a mistake, then you're dead. So, there must be an antidote to reverse the effects."

"If we make a mistake, then we are better off dead," the woman replied with a slight eye roll. "Creever has no need for those who make silly mistakes."

"So you do have a leader!" Edward felt proud he'd at least gotten that out, though he was sure there had to be some sort of cure for the poison. He stole a glance at Mustang who looked like he was struggling to keep awake. He was kneeling, crouched over, with his face flushed, and Riza stood in front of him, protecting the man with her body and her gun.

"Of course, dumbass," Julia sighed. "Congratulations, you figured out the most obvious thing."

"Where is he?" Alphonse asked. His own brow was caked in sweat and he was having trouble holding the woman in place. The pipes were beginning to leak and would soon burst, and he wouldn't be able to regroup in time to stop her from going after one of them.

"Like I would tell you," she laughed. "If I knew at all. But I don't, honestly. Our boss is a mysterious one, only appearing when needed to give orders."

"Tell me where the antidote is!" Edward pushed the sword closer so the tip was scraping against her neck. She smirked and pursed her lips, but Edward watched as she glanced to a door. Her eyes quickly moved back to him, and he could tell the movement was involuntary, but it gave away that it was somewhere in the hospital. She must have been working here on the poison in the first place.

"Brother, I can't hold her any longer!" Alphonse shouted as the pipes burst and the woman was released from the bindings. She dodged the sword's tip and lunged forward, her blade poised to hit Edward square in the chest. He wasn't going to be able to jump back in time.

Three shots pierced the air, ringing out like heavy bells throughout the room

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another round of "Kat's bad at writing the bad-guy trope!" Thanks again for all the comments and favs and all that! Hope you enjoy! Only 2 chapters left!


	13. Antidote

_Bang. Bang. Bang_.

There was first a clinking sound of the metal knife meeting the tile floor and then the thud of a body close behind it. Then, silence. It was as though the room had sucked out all the air and was holding it back. No one moved a muscle or even dared to breathe. Then, slowly, the boys turned their gaze to the woman holding the hot gun.

Riza was the first to breathe and then everyone else did so. Edward came forward and checked on the woman, lying with three bullet holes torn into her body. There was no pulse.

He wanted to turn and let them know she was dead, but it seemed obvious, and he didn't feel like he could speak. Riza Hawkeye had just saved his life. Then again, Riza Hawkeye had saved many lives and shot that gun many times, but this seemed different. Her back was straight, her mouth was in a thin neutral line. But her eyes were narrowed and hardened with an intense fury that one would not easily be able to put into words.

Behind her, the Colonel had collapsed and his eyes were closed. Edward was unsure if he was awake or not, but he didn't look good either way. They had to get that antidote and fast, but his feet felt glued to the floor.

This all felt like hours, but in fact was only a few seconds. With a rush, the room filled with air again and Riza was turned, both hands resting on the Colonel's shoulders as she questioned whether he was awake. He didn't respond, and she couldn't be sure, so she turned to the boys and shouted, "Go find an antidote or a doctor, or something!  _Now_!" Her voice was hard, but under it, they could tell there was heavy emotion.

The Elric brothers snapped into action and ran out of the room. Edward directed his brother to check the upstairs laboratory while he checked the one on this floor. While the boys were gone, Riza moved the Colonel from against the wall and onto her lap, so his head was laying on her. She brushed her fingers through his hair and tried to calm her anxiety.

"It's okay, it's going to be okay. Okay?" She wondered if it was legal to be saying the word 'okay' as much as she was. It felt wrong, the word having lost meaning on her tongue almost immediately. "You're going to be o-." She stopped. "You're going to be alright."

Mustang stirred and slowly opened his eyes to gaze up at her. "I'm… good," he managed out, but his face was twisted in pain, and Riza knew he was not, in fact, good, because he was about to go through exactly what she'd gone through the week before. Except, this time, the poison went directly into the bloodstream and was much more concentrated. He didn't have much time.

"Please, Colonel, rest," she asked of him. "The Elric brothers are going to find that antidote and when we give it to you, you'll be just fine."

"I love you." he croaked out and Riza almost wanted to hit him, but there was no one in the room, so they were safe. She sighed and glanced around before leaning down and kissing his forehead.

"I love you too. Now, shut up."

As she lifted her head back from his, Alphonse Elric came crashing into the room followed closely by Edward.

"We found it!" Alphonse shouted, and hollow, destroyed room echoed his voice back. Startled by his own voice, he dropped the volume. "I checked the properties of it with my Alchemy. It seems to be the right thing."

"I knew they had an antidote," Edward said proudly as they approached the two adults. "They always do, they can't be that stupid not to!"

Alphonse produced a needle and stuck it into the vial. He drew up some of the thick liquid and tapped the thin point. He then knelt down and pulled back Roy's sleeve before plunging the needle into his skin. Roy groaned, not liking the feeling of the cold metal entering his body, but the antidote was administered and the needle was gone before he found the will to complain. He almost immediately felt better, but still didn't feel he could get up on his own.

Riza sighed with relief, noticing some color returning to his cheeks. "Thank you," she said to the boys who nodded back and went to check on the woman's body. Riza stayed with Roy and moved her fingers through his hair.

The Elric's took their time exploring the hospital and examining the dead woman. By the time they came back to show Riza what they had found, Mustang was back up against the wall looking exhausted, but alive and well. He still appeared a little weak, but he was conscious and that was enough of a win for them.

"Poison, antidote, and a few other weapons," Edward said as he poked and prodded the spoils. "And also this." He opened a note that had a few circles and squares, and just a couple of words. "This dot looks like it's the King, and this one is the Queen. The Queen is crossed out and then there's an arrow pointing down the page from where the King is."

They sat in silence for a moment, pondering what it was. Riza was about to tell them to keep it and they would crack the code later when Roy spoke.

"Code names," he said softly, taking the note. "I am the King, as the leader of my team. Lieutenant Hawkeye, my right hand, is the Queen. They are assuming with her gone, I would step away, and they would have a much clearer path to the throne." He set the note down and looked at the three others gathered around. "I can't say they were thinking in the wrong direction."

"You'd really leave the military if Lieutenant Hawkeye died?" Alphonse blurted out and Edward elbowed him. Had the question come from Edward, Roy would have scolded him as best he could in his state, but Alphonse wasn't trying to get under his skin.

"I don't know." Was all he said, and he left it at that.

"It's late," Riza started after a long moment of silence had passed. "Edward, Alphonse, gather these things and keep them with you. Be sure you have everything, and meet at my house tomorrow afternoon. We'll go over everything and see if we can figure out where the rest of this crew might be hiding. I'm going to bring Colonel Mustang home and be sure there are no lingering effects. Do you mind if I take the rest of the antidote?"

Alphonse passed it over to her and she pocketed it before helping her Colonel stand. She wrapped his arm around her neck and the four of them made their way out of the hospital. The boys turned to go back to their place, and Riza helped Roy get into the car that was parked out front. He seemed a little tired and winded, but the antidote worked just as fast as the poison did. She knew he would be fine, though she couldn't help but glance worriedly over at him as they drove.

Once home, Riza helped lay the Colonel down in bed. "I guess I should have told myself not to do something stupid, huh?" he asked, now feeling a little better, though he was tired from the fight and the late hour.

"You doing something stupid is something I generally account for," Riza smirked as she slid into bed beside him. "But I am glad I didn't lose you to stupidity."

Roy smiled back at her. "I do my best. And thanks for saving Fullmetal. He's a pain in my ass alive, but he'd be a bigger pain in my ass if he was dead."

"I do what I can. You're right, though, he is a very good asset to our team."

Roy shook his head and laughed. "No," he said. "What I mean is, if he were dead, I'd have to do so much paperwork, I'd never get it all done!"

* * *

 

The couple slept late into the day, but they also assumed the Elric brothers would as well. The fight had taken a lot out of all of them, especially Roy, whose body spent the night repairing itself from the shock of the poison. Thankfully, by morning, he both looked and felt much better, and Riza took comfort in the fact he wouldn't have to go through what she'd gone through.

When they woke up, they relished in the comfort of each other's embrace. They didn't feel the need to get up quite yet and let the sound of the birds chirping outside be the only sound to fill the room. Riza didn't know how many more mornings they would have together because they were going to have to return to real life at some point. This was likely to be one of their last, as they would need to go to the Fuhrer to discuss gathering resources to weed out the people trying to take over the country.

Finally, the sun reached a high point in the room, and the two knew they needed to get up and be ready for the Elric brothers to come by. Slowly, they picked themselves up off the bed and changed, but stayed in the room a little while longer.

"I'm sure we'll get an audience with the Fuhrer today," Roy said. "I may not have ever been promoted, but Grumman trusts me and I know if I say it's urgent, he'll clear his schedule."

"Yes," Riza agreed. "And the sooner we get this information to him, the better. Then we can start looking into exactly what is going on and who this group is. I would be sure to explain that they seem more dangerous than most who threaten the country."

Roy nodded in agreement and looked over at the golden-haired woman. "I suppose our little vacation is almost over."

Riza's mouth formed a thin line, as it often did to hide her emotions. "Yes," she said simply. "It appears so."

"Well, what happens in this house stays in this house, I suppose," Roy chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "But I hope that you never again question how I feel about you. You are my faithful Lieutenant, my Queen, my trump card. I owe you so much for the times you've saved my life."

"It is not only my duty to protect you, it is the only thing I would want to do," the woman replied. "And so long as I am at your side, I don't care if all of… this…" She waved her hands, gesturing to the invisible, but ever-present feelings of love and devotion that filled the space between them. "... is not something we can share publicly."

Roy smiled over at her and she smiled back. They would secretly steal away when they could and spend private nights wrapped up in the illusion that they were together. Roy would bury himself in his work and refuse dates from other women, with the excuse that he was truly married to the country. But, he would always come home to Riza, and there was never any doubt about that.

A knock on the door and a barking Hayate broke them of their thoughts. The Elric brothers were there and they would go request an audience with the Fuhrer. As they walked out of the bedroom door, they walked out of their little slice of paradise but held the promise to return when they could close to their hearts.

But, for now, there was something more important to accomplish. As long as any person or group threatened the stability of the nation they loved, they would be there to protect it. It was simple to them; if there was no country, there was no life. And there truly was no life without the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, what a fricking week. Tons of work, got a flat tire, inlaws coming today, and I got sick. Thankfully, I have had this written for about a month, so here's the second to last chapter!!! There is one sort of "epilogue" chapter after this, though this is the ending of the main part of this story. I do have a sequel in the works, but I'm also writing so many other things, that might not be posted for a bit! 
> 
> Anyway, as always, thanks for the support and love! It's much appreciated!


	14. The End of the Beginning

The days wore into weeks, which turned into months, and soon a year had passed in the divided country. Fuhrer Grumman spent the year rebuilding as best he could, and managed to achieve some peace. He set up a parliament and allowed groups to democratically elect their leaders. While he would have the final say, the Parliament quickly took some actions to help resolve the conflicts, and Grumman served as a fine mediator.

Slowly but surely, those in the group who attacked Colonel Mustang and his Lieutenant were weeded out, and either killed or imprisoned. However, as their numbers grew smaller, they became harder to find, and they never caught Creever, who Julia mentioned was the leader of those particular rebels. But, with the establishment of the Parliament and the unification of the country, they felt safe in believing he had crawled back to the hole he came out of. That's not to say, he would never be back, but it was safe to say he would be gone for quite a while.

The Colonel, who was quickly promoted to a top-level General, and his Lieutenant, who was also appropriately promoted, returned to life the way it was. It was comfortable for them, though every now and then they did have nights together in secret. Riza had been right, the sickness tied a tight knot that couldn't be undone. And, honestly, she wouldn't have wanted to untie it anyway. This setup was working, and the General was even closer to his goal.

In fact, he was so close, that rumors he would be the next Fuhrer swirled. He kept a level head and a straight face, knowing that nothing was for certain until the day actually happened, but he was secretly excited. Grumman requested more audiences with him, and he quickly became the leader's go-to person.

And so, it was no surprise when Grumman called an audience with him one afternoon in late spring. The Colonel entered the room with a slight bow and exchanged formal greetings with the leader. The Fuhrer gestured for him to sit on one of the couches in the sitting area of the office and he did so, the older man taking a seat opposite him.

"How are things?" Grumman asked politely.

"Great, sir," Roy replied. "We have had few incidents since we last met. I dare say my team is getting a little out of practice, with things not exploding every other day." He chuckled, having adapted to Grumman's sense of humor. The older man smiled.

"Ah, well, I'm sure they relish the idea of not fighting for their lives all the time," he said. "Yes, the country seems back to normal. The Parliament is doing a marvelous job. It has been quite the… eventful few years hasn't it?"

"Yes, sir," Roy said. "Very eventful. But it is thanks to you that we have a democratic system. Without your wisdom and guidance, we were able to unify the country and bring together radically opposed groups. I can't imagine anyone else being able to do what you have done, sir."

The Fuhrer smiled at that, looking particularly humbled. He paused for a moment, and let a comfortable silence settle over them. Roy was not unnerved by the lapse in conversation and knew this meant the older man was thinking about what to say next.

"I can think of someone," the Fuhrer finally said and Roy raised an eyebrow. "You."

"Me, sir?" he asked, taken aback.

"Yes, of course. You're a little hotheaded, but your ideals are in the right place. You have shown loyalty and dedication to this country and her people that far outweighs that of any other. When in the face of danger and destruction, you chose the just side, risking all you had worked for, while others ran away from the truth of the matter in fear. Yes, General Mustang, the only other person in this whole country fit for my title is you."

Roy smiled at that and sat back, relaxing slightly. So, this was going to happen today. "Are you trying to say something, sir?" he asked with a knowing smirk. He knew as well as Grumman that rumors of the Fuhrer's retirement were swirling.

"In fact I am," the older man said, amused. "As you know, my leading this country was only meant to be a temporary thing. I have wanted and strived for this position for as long as I can remember, something I'm sure you relate to. But, I am old, and I have had my fun. For the past five years, the country has needed a gentle ruler who can easily bring people together. I have done that. Now, we need a strong, willful Fuhrer who can keep Parliament in check and lead against adversaries. I also find it important that the new leader have guidance from the old, and still want to be around to help." He paused and looked at Roy with intense emotion. "And, I believe that the next leader is you."

Roy was silent for a moment. He'd imagined this conversation over and over again, but never thought he'd actually have it. He'd dreamed about how he'd respond to this exact comment but now found himself speechless.

"Sir, I-" he started out slowly, trying to find the words as he went along.

Grumman held up his hand. "I know, it's a big ask," he said. "All I need to know is: do you accept?"

"Yes."

"Marvelous!" Grumman's face lifted in a radiant smile and another comfortable silence fell over them. Roy drank it in, trying to become as aware as possible. He was going to be the Fuhrer. His goal was about to be accomplished. He never wanted to forget how he felt in this moment.

"And now," Grumman continued after a pause. "I know there is something you would like to ask of me."

Now, Roy was confused. "I'm sorry, sir, I don't know what you mean," he said, his brows furrowing. Was this a test? Was he supposed to ask some important, wise question about the key to leading a country? If that was the case, he was surely failing.

"Oh, I think you do." The Fuhrer smirked. "It's been a long time coming, my boy. And finally, you can make good on my request to you."

Roy stared at him in confusion until a light went off in his head. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He stared, unsure if he was correct in his assumption because guessing wrong would be utterly embarrassing.

"Yes, yes. That." Grumman said, reading his thoughts.

"But-"

"You're the Fuhrer. You've reached your goals. You also set the rules. And you don't think everyone who would care doesn't know? My boy, I'm not one for gossip, but it hasn't even slipped past me!"

"And you are okay with it?"

"To be frank, it's not my decision to make," Grumman smiled with a sparkle in his eye. "But yes, I am."

Roy smiled, wider than he'd ever smiled in his life. All in one day, in just one conversation that lasted mere minutes, he'd been given everything he'd ever wanted. He fidgeted, wanting to leave immediately, but also knew he needed to stay to be polite. Grumman laughed at him and how quickly the stoic, polite man had become as anxious as an excited puppy.

"Go, General Mustang," he said, standing. "We'll discuss the details of your appointment later." Roy nodded and jumped up, grabbing his hand quickly as he muttered a rushed goodbye. He then hurried out of the room and, once out of the palace, ran as quickly as his legs would carry him all the way back to Hawkeye's home.

He pounded on the door frantically, causing Hayate to bark back until a concerned and completely unamused Riza opened the door. Her hair was down and she was wearing a tshirt and sweats. But, she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world.

"Is there a reason why you're banging down my door and setting off my dog?" she asked with only the slightest hint of amusement as she cocked her eyebrow at him.

"The Fuhrer just called me in for an audience." He said, unable to stop his giant smile. That was all he needed to say, Riza knew what the audience had been about immediately. She gasped and smiled back at him before wrapping him into a hug.

"I'm so happy for you, sir." She said as she stepped away from him. But, Roy didn't move any further back. He grabbed her hand and stared at her intensely for a long moment. The silence was both exciting and uncomfortable for Riza and she felt a certain buzz about him that she couldn't place.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye," he started in the most steady voice he could manage. "Will you do me the honor of being my wife?"

Her eyes widened and then she broke into a huge smile. So, there had been more to the meeting. She knew her grandfather had meddled in this, but she couldn't be happier. A smile danced on her lips, the happiest smile she had ever worn, and the shine in her eyes told Roy that the answer was yes.

But, Riza loved keeping her fiance on his toes.

"I will think about it."

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end
> 
> Thank you to all who read, faved, reviewed, and enjoyed! Writing this was super fun and I hope you experienced the same joy reading it as I did writing it! Apologies for the lateness, work picked up something fierce! I'll have new chapters of Something Wild, Gifted, and my Voltron fic soon-ish, and once I have a better direction and more written of the sequel to this fic, I'll post that too!
> 
> A few notes; the last two lines of dialogue are from a video of the voice actors of Mustang and Hawkeye "proposing" to each other at a con. If you search it on Youtube, it's easy to find, and IMO, very in character!
> 
> Also, the chapter title is a nod to something my dad told me before I left for college--For him, it's the beginning of the end, but for me, it's the end of the beginning. I thought a nice little Dad-ism would be a perfect little wrap-up!
> 
> Thank you again!


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